Warped
by Lunaviolet
Summary: Set after Goku leaves at the end of GT; Son Pan somehow gets sent back in time where she meets her family in the past. What will a 15-year old Gohan make of this? What will a 39-year old Gohan do to the being that was stupid enough to take his daughter? Rated M for language RR please
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, darn it.

Hello, this is my first work of fanfiction! I know this type of story has been done before, but it was never done to my liking, so I decided to try it out myself! Please review :)

* * *

Pan closed her eyes and sighed deeply. The wind whistled through her ears, blocking out any other sounds, loud enough even to drown out her thoughts. It was peaceful up in the air, far above any troubles. Especially on a beautiful evening such as this. She felt untouchable, light as air. If only she could bottle this feeling.

The fifteen-year old was on her way home from school at Orange Star High. Even though the journey was a five hour drive from her home in the mountains, she could fly it in only about 45 minutes. Lately, however, she was making the trip last twice that long, especially on the way home. This was about the only time Pan had to herself, away from her overprotective family's worried and vigilant eyes.

It was beginning to be unbearable, her grandmother telling her how much she loved her at every turn, her mother hugging her and saying "I'm here if you want to talk" about ten times a day, her uncle asking constantly how she was doing. Even Trunks kept calling to check up on her, nearly every day. It wasn't that she didn't love her family's affection and appreciate their support; it's just that she couldn't stand being treated like a baby. But that was her entire (extended) family's way of viewing her, and nothing she said or did could change it. She really wished that her Uncle Goten would settle down already and pop out a kid or two, that way she wouldn't be the center of attention anymore. He and Valese had broken up the week before though, so that day was probably a long way off.

About the only person that didn't annoy her these days was her father, which was really kind of ironic, since he treated her like a baby more than anyone. But for some reason it was okay when it was daddy. He was the only one she tried to seek any comfort from. Maybe that was because Gohan knew better than anyone what Pan was going through. It had been a month since her Grandpa Goku rode off on the monstrous dragon's back (practically the most random and weird thing ever, which is saying a lot for her family) and she could still remember it in every perfect detail. How he had jumped on with hardly a glance back at them all, no real goodbyes for anyone; not his wife, not his oldest friend, not even his oldest son, whom he loved more than anyone.

_Not even me. _

Pan shook her head viciously, her peace shattered. She had let the thought in, and now it would take root and grow, adding to the tangled vines of anger and hurt that already existed inside of her because of that one thought. Maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but it was exactly how it felt to Pan, whose face was now getting cold due to the wind hitting her tearstained face. Her grandpa had been with her constantly for the past year and a half, and to her it seemed like they were very close. At least close enough to deserve a proper goodbye, a hug, maybe even an 'I love you'. The first time he left her, he'd at least taken the time for that.

And there was the real kicker; he had done it again! Took off without his family, acting like it didn't even bother him. She supposed she only had herself to blame; she had let him get close again, when she knew he probably wouldn't be around for long. She knew the stories from her family's past. Pan wasn't really sure how her dad held himself together after his own father left him repeatedly, and she didn't envy him. He had always been even closer to Goku than even Pan had gotten. This was the reason he understood her feelings. This was why it didn't bother her at all when her dad gave her a sad smile, held her face and kissed her forehead. It also helped that he didn't really say anything, didn't pry or ask questions. He just held her when she needed it.

Pan scrubbed the tears away quickly. The young Saiyan was getting close to home and evidence that she had been crying was the last thing she wanted her family to see. She rolled her eyes just imagining their reactions.

* * *

Pan ran in the door to her home, although the heavenly aroma coming from her grandmother's house pulled her in that direction. She took the stairs two at a time to her bedroom. Orange Star High had adopted uniforms since her parents had attended the school, and Pan didn't stay in hers any longer than was absolutely necessary on any given day.

The girl changed quickly before looking herself over in the mirror. She paused suddenly, a little surprised with what she saw. Her hair had grown some, and now rested slightly past her shoulders. Growing it out a bit longer had brought back some of its more Saiyan tendencies, so it was more wavy than straight now. She no longer sported her orange bandana, although she sometimes wore a headband just to keep her hair out of her face, especially during sparring. Today she wore a plain black one, along with a simple, form-fitting short-sleeved lavender tee, a straight jean skirt that hit mid-thigh, and black capri leggings. She squinted her eyes to study her reflection more carefully. What was different? She still had her father's dark eyes and fair skin, her mother's nose and obvious attitude. Suddenly she realized exactly what was different-she had more curves. Her body had filled out a little, giving her more of a chest and hips. Quirking her lips to the side, Pan wondered when this had happened. She shrugged, no longer interested, and pulled on her favorite green Chuck Taylor's before running back down the stairs.

Wandering into the kitchen, she found her mother reading a book at the table.

"Hey mom," Pan said as Videl looked up. Her mother smiled at her as she closed her book after marking her place. "Are we going to Grandma's for dinner? It smells awesome over there."

Videl smiled at her, nodding. "I think she made your favorite, and Trunks is coming too."

Pan frowned at this news. She loved Trunks dearly, but lately it was almost painful to be around him. Seeing him made her think of the time they had spent together with her Grandpa, which she tried to avoid these days. She quickly smiled before her mom could catch that look. "Great!"

"Why don't you go find Dad and see if he's ready to head over," Videl suggested.

Pan headed to where she sensed her father's energy, in his office. As she walked in quietly, she saw her dad sitting at his desk, his head in one hand with his elbow resting on the desk, the other holding something which he stared at intently, a thoughtful and almost sad expression on his face. She tried to sneak up silently to see what it was that had him looking so focused. That was pretty much a lost cause-he looked up quickly as he sensed her presence.

_Darn half-Saiyan senses. _

"Oh, hey sweetie," Gohan gave her a big smile as his eyes lit up. She smiled too, loving that.

"Hey, daddy," she replied as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "What's that?" They both dropped their gazes to the object of Gohan's focus. Pan frowned as she realized what it was-a picture of her dad and grandpa, both in Super Saiyan form. Her father was young in the picture, and she didn't have to ask to know that it was one taken right before the Cell Games, during the resting period the two took after their training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It was a good picture, the girl knew. Her father was looking at the camera, a huge smile on his face. But Goku was looking at his son, the only child he had back in those days. Pan did a double-take at his expression, which shocked her just a little, because it so closely resembled the look she had just seen on her own father's face as he looked at her.

_Wow, they really look so much alike_, Pan thought. Her eyes moved over as she noticed another picture sitting on the desk. This one was of the entire group, presumably around the time after Buu had been defeated, if Trunks and Goten's ages were any indication. Everyone was looking at the camera this time (except for Vegeta), but her dad and grandpa were standing next to each other in the center, their arms around each other's shoulders. She was shocked again, by her dad's face this time. He looked nearly identical to the dad standing next to her, as if he hadn't aged a day. She shouldn't have been surprised by this, considering the fact that her mother grumbled about her "teenage husband" more and more. He'd been wearing those dumb glasses for years to make himself look older; it wasn't easy to be a college professor when you looked the same age or younger than your students. After a couple months of his female students (and a few male ones) hitting on and ogling him, the half-Saiyan had bought the nerdiest glasses he could find in order to deter the unwanted attention. Trunks had adopted the same technique to make himself look older, but it honestly hadn't helped either one of them much.

"Nothing," Gohan quickly dropped the pictures into a drawer and smiled apologetically at his daughter. He knew seeing a picture of his father would probably upset her, and he didn't blame her at all. He was struggling with his feelings toward his father himself.

"Don't feel bad, dad," Pan hugged him tightly, "It's okay, really. I'm just...confused is all. I'll get over it, you don't have to walk on eggshells around me or something."

Gohan wrapped his arm around her. "I know. I just hate seeing you sad. I love you more than anything."

Pan stepped back, putting the biggest smile on her face that she could muster for her father's sake. She knew that it was silly for her to be so mopey and pathetic over her grandpa when she had no right to next to her dad. It was a way bigger loss for him. The two had been so close, anyone that was around them at all could see that. She knew how much it hurt him when his dad wasn't there. They had a strong bond, and since Piccolo was now gone also, it was even worse.

"Momma wanted to know if you're ready to go to grandma's for dinner," Pan said quickly to avoid responding to his earlier statement.

Gohan frowned for a millisecond, looking slightly hurt. He didn't push it, he never pushed it. He put on a small smile and nodded, standing to follow his daughter from the room.

Pan felt bad for hurting his feelings. She grabbed his arm and hugged it as she pulled him toward the door. "I love you too," she said with a smile.

* * *

"Hey you!"

Pan let out a small shriek of surprise as Trunks lifted her off the ground in a hug. She had just opened the door to let him into her grandmother's house, barely having enough time to register that it was him before he was swooping her up.

She forced a small laugh. "Hey, Trunks..." she trailed off uncertainly. She never really knew what to say to him anymore. He set her back down but kept his hands on her shoulders.

He squeezed them gently as he gave her a strange look. "Huh, you've grown some."

She frowned in annoyance, taking a step back to remove his hands. He let them drop to his sides while giving her another weird look.

"Yeah, that's what people my age do," she snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest. Trunks just smirked and moved forward to put less distance between them. As he raised his hands to cup her cheeks, she felt them grow red. She tried to keep it from happening, but had no control over the blush that crept across her face.

_Damn my father for passing on this horrible trait!_

Trunks' smirk widened. With a low chuckle, he bent down and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "You're so adorable," he said, effectively pissing Pan off even more.

She turned on her heel as she raised her arm to wipe the spot he'd kissed with the back of her hand. Trunks followed her with another laugh.

They heard the door open behind them as they walked, and turned to see Goten walk through. Pan kept walking while her uncle and Trunks greeted one another, but she didn't get far before Goten had grabbed her from behind and started spinning around.

"Oh my _favorite_ niece!" he cried as he crushed her to his chest. "What are you doing walking away without greeting your only uncle?"

Pan rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. Goten was such a goof. "Hi Goten," she said to appease him.

Goten stopped spinning suddenly, dropping his niece to her to her feet and spinning her around to face him. "Whatsa matter, baby girl? Aren't you glad to see me?"

_Ugh, he's such a dork!_ Pan couldn't help but laugh though, her uncle just thought he was so charming. _Well, maybe he is a little_, she thought.

"Much better!" Goten said as he swung her around again, flinging his arm around her shoulders as they all headed for the kitchen.

_Why do I feel like a rag doll today?_ The teenager rolled her eye again. _Man my family is pushy_.

* * *

Once Trunks and Goten had arrived, everyone was there for dinner. They dug in quickly, complimenting Chi Chi on the delicious (as usual) meal. Soon the group started talking about the upcoming event. Bulma had decided to have a party at Capsule Corp. the next day to get everyone together. It had been a while since everyone had been together in a group, especially the non-alien members.

"I can't wait to see everyone," Videl commented. "It's been so long! I bet everyone's changed so much. I wonder how Marron's doing..." she glanced at Uncle Goten with that last part, Pan noticed. She looked down to hide her smirk. No one else noticed, but he had glanced up suddenly at Marron's name.

_Interesting._

"Yes, I'll be surprised if Marron hasn't found a man and settled down, as pretty as she is," Chi Chi put in. _Guess mom and I weren't the only ones to notice Uncle Goten's reaction_, Pan thought to herself. Videl and her mother-in-law shared a look as Goten frowned slightly at that comment.

_Very interesting..._

"Well her mother probably scares any potentials off," Gohan laughed. The others joined in, agreeing wholeheartedly. Android Eighteen had come a long way, but she was still pretty intimidating.

Once the laughter had died down, a silence filled the room. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing, if the sighs and looks on their faces were any indication. They were all thinking about who _wouldn't_ be there, once again.

Pan sighed too, but mostly in agitation. Were they all pathetic or what? _Why is anyone surprised? He's done this for years! What would make a difference this time around?_

Trunks opened his mouth to speak, and Pan, knowing what was coming, squeezed her eyes shut as if that would keep her from hearing it. Gohan, glanced at his daughter as she stilled next to him.

"Hey!" Everyone looked up at him in surprise, Trunks closing his mouth before he could start talking. "Uhhh...Trunks, how's Capsule Corp., Mr. President?"

"Oh," Trunks responded, thrown off a little. He recovered quickly, "It's alright. Just as boring as ever really."

Pan threw her dad a grateful smile and breathed out a sigh of relief. _Stupid topic averted, daddy to the rescue._ Gohan returned the smile as he wrapped his arm around her, before turning back to Trunks. "Well it can't be all bad right, Most Eligible Bachelor?"

"And speaking of settling down, when are you going to find a nice girl?" Videl cut in.

The younger demi-Saiyan laughed as he placed his hand behind his head. Pan raised her eyebrows at this, thinking how funny it was that Trunks had just made that gesture. It was something Goku and Gohan were famous for, and Goten to a lesser extent. He really was just a part of the Son family.

"Yeah, well, I guess I just haven't found the right one yet," Trunks laughed. "Or something like that at least." Pan didn't think it was her imagination that he glanced at her for a split second as he said that last part, before turning quickly to Gohan with wide eyes. He laughed again before clearing his throat. Gohan cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed and a frown on his face.

And here was yet another awkward silence.

Trunks looked quickly away from Gohan and asked Goten to pass him something. Chi Chi quickly asked Videl what she was wearing to Bulma's party tomorrow, and the atmosphere became relatively normal again.

_What the heck?_

Pan soon brushed off the weird incident, and the rest of dinner was mostly uneventful.

_Kind of like my life, _she thought. Then she rolled her eyes at herself. _Get over it you baby._

* * *

A/N: Sheesh, kind of boring, I know. But it's just getting started and hopefully will start to pick up! Nothing has really happened yet, but it will. This is my first try at fanfiction **ever**, so please try not to be too harsh! I'd love reviews however-good, bad, and especially constructive! Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

"What in the world are you idiots doing!?"

Pan didn't look up; only one person could yell with such vigor, and only two idiots were present. It didn't seem to matter that Trunks and Goten were both almost 30, they basically acted like two nine-year olds, at least when they were together. Well, maybe two people could yell with such vigor, since now Pan's grandma was joining Bulma in verbally thrashing their sons. It sounded like it had something to do with food, and having no patience, and being bottomless Saiyan pits….the usual.

Bulma's little reunion party was in full swing in Capsule Corp.'s backyard, and the whole gang had turned out for the event. Pan didn't know all the others quite as well as she knew the Briefs, who were practically part of her family, but she still knew them. She watched them with some interest. They were quite the odd group when you stood back and looked at it. Yamcha, who still hung out with his ex-girlfriend from like 40 years ago; Tien, a guy with three eyes, and Chiaotzu, his constant little white-faced companion; Krillin, the short man with the beautiful android wife, along with their daughter, Marron, practically a perfect blend of her parents; Master Roshi, a perverted old man that had somehow been the one to invent the Kamehameha Wave; a talking, shape-shifting pig; and a flying little cat. Strange company, but Pan loved them all.

_And let's not forget the aliens_, she added in her head. Vegeta was leaning against a tree not too far from her, arms crossed over his chest. He was watching Trunks and Goten with something that resembled disgust mixed with fondness. Pan's mother (though not an alien) was sitting at the picnic table to Vegeta's right, and was soon joined by Chi Chi as the yelling died down. Gohan leaned against the table, laughing at his younger brother and his…well practically other younger brother.

Bulma, finally giving up on Trunks and Goten, was stomping over to sit with the Son women, Eighteen following suit. Uub stood a little ways off, conversing with Hercule and Krillin.

Pan turned to Bra, her best friend who sat next to her in the grass. Bra hadn't been too happy when Pan took off into outer space without telling her about it, but of course she had forgiven the younger girl. "Are you as bored as I am?"

Bra smirked, and Pan almost laughed out loud at how that one expression could take her from Bulma-clone to female-Vegeta in a split second. "You're always bored Pan!" she snorted, "But, yeah this is a little tame. Wish we could be shopping instead, but I'm pretty sure my mom would tear into us next if we tried to bail."

Pan sighed as she threw herself back. Shopping sounded worse than this, so Pan thanked her lucky stars for Bulma. Turning her head to the side to watch people some more, she noticed her father's suddenly forlorn expression. She wondered whether it was his father or his mentor that he was thinking about. She wished she could do something to make her dad feel better. His father may have been a wavering presence, but Piccolo had been one of the few constants in his life. Looking back at the sky to ponder this, it occurred to Pan suddenly that today was probably not the best day for a picnic, considering the dark clouds that were rolling in. "Check that out" she pointed with a thrust of her chin to the rapidly darkening sky.

"Whoa, when did that happen?" Bra responded after she dragged her eyes away from Uub. "Wasn't it sunny and clear a minute ago?"

"Yeah I thought so-no more I guess," Pan hopped up as she felt a drop of rain hit her nose. The rest of the party had noticed the sudden change in the weather and was beginning to hurry into the house for cover. Pan and Bra quickly helped move the food inside.

Once in the house, everyone was able to eat their fill as the rain started pounding down. Pan wasn't sure if she'd ever seen such a violent storm. She watched from a window in the living room as the outside world was plunged practically into night, even though it was only 1:00 in the afternoon. Thunder shook the house, lightning cut jagged lines in the sky. Trees were nearly bent in half by a wind that howled as if it were being tortured. Goten jumped onto the couch Pan was occupying, glancing out the window. "Pretty good one, huh?" he asked his niece.

"Yep," was her short reply. Goten grinned and linked his hands behind his head, leaning closer to Pan. "Are you scared?" he asked. Pan shot him a glare and pushed his head away. He pinched her cheek and laughed, trailing off as something across the room caught his gaze. Rubbing her slightly sore cheek, Pan followed the line of his sight and grinned.

"See something you like Uncle Goten?"

Marron leaned against the wall, talking to Videl.

"Yep, your mom's still got it- ow!" She cut him off with a thump to the head.

"Don't change the subject!" Pan hissed. "Why don't you ask her out or something?"

Goten stuck his tongue out at her.

"Come on I'm serious," Pan pushed. Her uncle only closed his eyes and leaned back, pretending not to hear her. Pan threw her arms around him, smiling sweetly. "Don't you think I need some cousins, Uncle Goten?" The Saiyan man's eyes shot open at that, but he only groaned in response. She laughed heartily. She and her uncle usually operated like this, teasing each other mercilessly. And now Pan had some pretty solid ammo. But they loved one another fiercely. Goten was in a lot of ways more like a big brother to Pan than just an uncle. "Can't you just imagine a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed Goten running around, getting into untold amounts of mischief? I'd even babysit that hellion for you!"

Goten shoved a pillow into Pan's face, laughing. "Dream on, sweetheart! This man is not about to—"

"Hey, Goten!" interjected Marron. He jumped, startled by her sudden appearance. "I haven't seen you in forever!" Pan smirked at her uncle's sudden deer-in-the-headlights face, slipping silently away. She wandered over to Vegeta, who had replaced his leaning-tree with a leaning-wall in the next room.

"Hi-ya, Prince!" she greeted him with a huge grin. She just loved calling him that. He grunted and rolled his eyes, but Pan was pretty sure he loved it too. "I can tell you're in a good mood today," she continued. He 'hmphed' again, still not looking at her.

_Well this won't do. I demand attention, darn it!_

Pan jumped up and pecked Vegeta on the cheek before dashing away quickly. She glanced back to see the blush on his cheeks as he yelled at her to "get back here brat" and started to chase her down. She laughed, knowing it was all a big joke, he'd never hurt her, unless they were sparring of course.

Not looking where she was going, the girl ran smack dab into a wall of half-Saiyan that was her father. "Did Vegeta just yell for me….?" he asked. Pan laughed as she jumped around him, deciding on a whim to use the sliding glass doors in the backyard as her exit. She plunged into the thick downpour, closing the door behind her, barely catching her dad's "Pan, get back in here!" She couldn't see a thing in front of her face, so she held out her hands to prevent a run-in with anything. She was fairly certain that Vegeta wouldn't come out here.

Once she reached the place where she'd been lying previously, she flopped down on the ground again, uncaring since she was already soaked. Her mother would be annoyed with her later, but oh well. She also hadn't thought about having to go back into Bulma's house like a wet cat…..

_Guess I'll have to stay out here until we leave,_ Pan thought with a smile.

The girl turned her head to the side, squinting. It hurt to look directly at the rain; it was coming down so hard. Her lids began to drift closed as another flash of lightning crossed the sky…..

She sat up suddenly, heart pounding, staring intently away from the house. She had seen something with that flash of bright light, she was sure of it. _Something that looked an awful lot like a person._ As adrenaline pumped rapidly through her body, Pan extended her senses, trying to locate the intruder in Bulma's yard. She shouldn't be scared, had no reason to be; she could take on basically any human alive. Still, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling of apprehension. But her senses detected nothing, no unfamiliar energy in the vicinity at all. She let her eyes close again as she sank back to the ground, heart still galloping.

_I couldn't have seen anything with this rain anyways; it's practically a solid wall of water. _She opened her eyes again, looking back in that same direction. The lightning flashed.

"Okay, who's out there?!" Pan jumped hastily to her feet, stalking toward the form that she was certain she had seen a second time. She could still sense no energy there, and that prickling sense of apprehension was getting stronger. For a split second she considered the possibility that maybe this was an android, maybe she should go back and get help instead of rushing headlong into possible danger. But she was already most of the way there. And that form looked shockingly familiar. Her body was practically vibrating with tension, the sound of the rain hitting the ground suddenly much louder, the feel of it on her skin suddenly much harder, nearly painful. Pan realized how shallow and rapid her breathing was as she neared her target, how her heart seemed almost like one solid thrum in her chest.

She was nearly there now….just another yard…. She stopped in confusion.

_I should be right on top of it. Where'd that thing go? _Pan took a deep breath, folding her arms in annoyance. _How the heck could I have imagined that?_ Shaking her head and scowling at herself, the young Saiyan girl turned to head back to the house.

She never saw the fist coming, and was knocked out on impact.

* * *

Glancing out the window yet again, Gohan sighed. _That headstrong girl_. The thought came with a rueful smile though. His daughter had his wife's fighting spirit and his own Saiyan strength. Or some of it at least. It made her what Vegeta had always called "a true Saiyan" and he couldn't be more proud of that, even knowing that he didn't want what had been his existence of life-and-death battles for his daughter. But she was a true Saiyan, in more ways than one. She had her grandfather's yearning for adventure inside of her. That thought gave Gohan a little shock of something close to fear. He'd never thought about it that way, put them together and compared that one trait. He prayed to his good friend Dende that he'd never have to live through the day when he was without Pan, too. Losing his father (each and every time) was nearly unbearable, and losing Piccolo was somehow even more excruciating, maybe because it had never happened before, or at least not for years. But if he lost Pan, if he lost his little girl…. Gohan had a special relationship with most of the people in his life: his wife, his mother, Bulma, Goten, Trunks, Krillin, even Vegeta. And of course his father and Piccolo. But nothing, not even his great love for his father, held a candle to the love he felt for his child. He imagined that people were made that way, feeling a tie to their own offspring that was indescribable and unparalleled. He only knew that the world would stop spinning if Pan wasn't in it, that the hurt he would feel if she left him would engulf his mind, his very soul completely.

He shook off the thought, checking on Pan through the window again. He couldn't see her lying on the ground anymore, but he could still feel her energy and knew she was close.

"Don't worry so much, kid," Bulma elbowed Gohan lightly. He laughed.

"You know I can't help it," he said sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of his head. Bulma winked at him with a chuckle.

"I sure do! We should have all seen what type of father you'd be long ago, just knowing you as a kid."

Gohan frowned a little. "Do you think I overdo it?"

Bulma laughed out loud. "Of course you do, Gohan. But that's what makes you, you- it always has. Pan's a lucky girl. I just don't envy the boy that wants to marry her."

Gohan shuddered at the thought as Bulma walked away. Abruptly Gohan felt Pan's energy level increase. She was frightened, he could tell. He quickly headed for the door, noting Trunks, Goten, and Vegeta following him. He threw open the sliding glass and ran into the rain without hesitation. Just as he was about to call her name, the amount of rain decreased exponentially.

And his daughter's energy vanished.

* * *

It was dark, and it was cold, unbearably quiet. Pan had never experienced such silence, such complete and chilling emptiness. She couldn't feel anything; no thing touched her on any side. It was as if she were floating, completely weightless. Yet she was totally immobile. She tried to open her mouth to say something-to scream-but no sound came out. She couldn't tell if she had even opened her mouth at all. Couldn't even tell if she had a mouth to open.

Was this death? Panic started to seize her. If she were dead, she was surely in the worst circle of hell. She would be insane inside of an hour, inside of a minute in this…emptiness. It was like a vacuum, a void of terror. Pan knew her heart should be racing, her body tense and ready to run, but she felt nothing but a numb horror. None of the physical reactions which she was used to came, although she knew it was cold and dark.

And suddenly the world flipped. It was bright, too bright, painfully stark white light, practically burning her alive. Or maybe it was the intense heat that scorched her body from the inside out. Her ears were filled with a rushing sound, getting louder and louder. She felt her body now, felt it being compressed, crushed. Felt it being slowly stabbed with a thousand knives. She wondered if she would be turned into dust from this great pressure. Her mind was buzzing, no her entire body was buzzing, almost ringing. Her heart was suddenly beating again, frantically, like a rabid animal. She realized she had a mouth now, and so she opened it.

This time, she screamed.

* * *

Gohan didn't understand. They had searched everywhere, and there was absolutely no sign of his daughter.

_How can this be? How could her energy have just vanished completely? It was there one minute and gone the next!_

He groaned, feeling sick to his stomach. He was quickly beginning to panic, but he couldn't let his wife see that. She was standing with his mother, who was bawling by now, having already awoken after passing out earlier. Videl's face was stark white, her eyes wide, every muscle in her body tensed. She hadn't cried, and he knew it was because she refused to accept that her baby was not okay.

Flying down to meet her on the ground, Gohan saw the plea in his wife's eyes, begging him to tell her that he had found their daughter, that she was fine, that she had run off for some silly reason. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. Videl blinked, a ragged breath escaping from her lips. She swallowed hard, refusing to give in still.

It wouldn't have been too shocking; Pan took off when she got upset sometimes, though not far, and never without letting someone in her family know where she was going.

_Besides, she was happy when I saw her last._ Gohan replayed that moment in his mind, Pan running into him, running from Vegeta. She had laughed, looked into his eyes for a split second and laughed before going around him to get outside. And even then, she had been outside for a while, perfectly calm, he could tell by her energy. But she had suddenly been in distress, and then all of a sudden disappeared. No, he was certain. Even if those things hadn't happened, he would have known. He could feel it deep in his bones. Something bad was going on. His baby had run into something that had scared her, and then she had vanished.

_But how? Or perhaps more importantly, who? And why? _Gohan had no idea who could have done this. They had searched for an unfamiliar presence but found none. In spite of this, Gohan was certain, he would find this person. And when he did, they would pay dearly.

Goten flew down to his older brother, taking their mother so that Videl could lean into Gohan for support. Gohan could tell that his little brother was scared; they all were.

Gohan's resolve strengthened. He felt an anger that he hadn't felt in years. No, that wasn't right; he had never felt anger this potent.

He looked his wife in the eyes. They were a darker violet than he had ever seen."I _will_ find her. I promise you that. I will get our little girl back." He spoke the words with conviction, because he meant them with everything he had. Videl nodded.

_I am Son Gohan, the son of Goku. No one takes what is mine._ He gazed fiercely at the horizon. _Whoever you are, I will find you. And I will show you no mercy._

* * *

A/N: Well a little action there, thank goodness. :) I hope everyone's enjoying it so far. It's amazing how long it takes to write a chapter, and then it only takes ten minutes tops to read! Frustrating! I'm going to work on making them longer. I'd like to see this thing go a long way. I don't know how long I will go between updates, hopefully not long at all. Also, I feel like I should warn people: I intend to fill this story with lots of sickly sweet lovey-dovey father/daughter-ish moments! I've always LOVED Gohan, and have always been dissatisfied with the lack of relationship between him and his daughter. That's why I'm writing this story. Not to mention the disappointment they made him into in GT... oh well! Please review, I absolutely crave it! The two reviews I have utterly MADE. MY. DAY. Thank you both, SO MUCH! Good, bad, and ugly, I don't care, just review please :D Also, I think it would be really cool if anyone had anything in particular that they want to see in the story. If so, please tell me! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Hello! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you to all who have followed, favorite-ed, read, and especially reviewed!_

* * *

Consciousness swam back slowly. Pan became aware of a blessed lack of pain, although the rain was still coming down like it had a personal vendetta against her. Even before she opened her eyes, she could tell there was something very different…the very air seemed changed. She pried her lids apart slowly, wincing as pain came now, in the form of a sharp piercing behind her eyes. She noticed that she was lying on grass again.

She simply continued to lay there for a few minutes, wondering what in the world had possibly happened. This felt a little bit like how she would imagine a hangover to feel…_did those two morons spike the drinks or something? Surely not. They'd have their asses kicked so fast their heads would spin. _Pan groaned. Deciding to try again, she was able to open her eyes fully this time without too much discomfort. She felt like dead weight, but decided to try sitting up as well. Raising herself up on her elbows, Pan noted that she couldn't hear any voices; no one was around her. And suddenly she realized the difference: she was no longer hearing the sounds of the city like she should be at Capsule Corp. No cars whizzing by, no horns honking, no hustle and bustle. And looking around, that wasn't too surprising considering that she seemed to be surrounded by woods.

_What in the world? How did I get here? Where the heck _is_ here?_

Pan pulled herself to her feet slowly, feeling a little dizzy. She took better stock of her surroundings. The only sounds she heard were of wilderness and rain. The woods were lush and green, alive with animals. The sky looked even darker than it had before, meaning night was approaching now. Pan wondered exactly how far she was from her family, knowing it was probably far enough that she'd be in some trouble. She attempted to sense her family's energies, but was too weak. Realizing her throat was parched, Pan lifted her face to the sky to catch some rain in her mouth. This made her feel worlds better, surprisingly. She felt stronger already, her senses sharpened. Still, she decided not to try flying quite yet, and so began trekking through the woods.

Closing her eyes, she was able this time to quickly locate her dad's signature energy. It felt a little different from usual, although she couldn't put her finger on how exactly. If she knew him, he was probably worried; maybe that accounted for the difference. Whatever it was, she was surprised to discover just how close it felt. He wasn't far from her at all, less than a mile. She wasn't sure if this meant that she would be in less trouble or more, but headed toward him anyway since she didn't have much choice.

As Pan walked, she recognized just how familiar these woods were. _Duh-it's our land. I'm at home. _Pan still didn't know what to make of this. Had it all been a dream? Had she just fallen asleep in the woods surrounding their house and never even gone to Bulma's party? Remembering the form she'd seen in Capsule Corp.'s backyard, she shuddered. It had certainly seemed real.

_What a trip._

Knowing exactly where she was now, the girl didn't feel any apprehension, so she hurried to get to her house. The rain wasn't letting up any, and she was getting a little tired of being drenched. Soon the tree line broke and her Grandma Chi Chi's house came into view, so she picked up her pace to a jog. She stopped short, however, when she noticed something a little odd. Her house wasn't there.

_What?! _

Pan rubbed her eyes roughly, reopening them to squint into the rain. No, she wasn't just imagining it-right there where her and her parents' house should have stood was nothing but open space. Well, she supposed it was a capsule house after all… But what reason could her parents possibly have for…capsulizing…their house? They never had before in her life. She shook her head. _What a screwed up day!_ Pan turned back to her grandma's house, knowing she didn't have many options other than to just go in there. Her dad's energy was inside, too. So at least she knew her parents hadn't picked up and abandoned her.

_Or at least one of them hasn't…where could mom be? _She didn't sense her mother at all. She shrugged, letting out a frustrated huff. In the back of her mind, she registered the fact that going into her grandma's house like a drowned cat would have even worse consequences than going into Bulma's. But she charged on anyways, pausing only for a split second at the door.

_What is so different?_ She didn't think about it more than that however, as she opened the door and walked straight through, just like she always had.

* * *

Inside her grandmother's house, Pan discovered all of the things she had been expecting; the heavenly aroma of a fresh cooked meal, the familiar furniture in the living room. She started to head for the kitchen where she could hear her grandma's voice, when one that was much closer stopped her.

"Who are you?" It was the voice of a child, a toddler even. Pan looked down to find a little boy, probably about three, standing in front of her, watching her with a curious expression on his face. Pan's jaw dropped.

"…Grandpa?" she asked uncertainly. It undoubtedly looked like her Grandpa Goku…except that he was somehow even younger than he had been before. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "What did you do this time, grandpa?!"

The little boy blinked and laughed a little. "Grandpa? That's silly, I'm no grandpa!" He folded his arms behind his head, leaning to the side as he laughed good-naturedly.

"Who are you talking to in there, Goten?" Pan heard her grandma's voice call from the kitchen. The little boy turned in response. Pan cocked her head to the side in confusion. She hadn't seen Goten anywhere.

"A girl, mommy!" the little boy cried back.

Pan suddenly felt very ill. Was this little boy her Uncle Goten? What had happened in the time she'd been unconscious?! Suddenly the two weren't the only ones in the room anymore. Chi Chi had rushed into the living room upon hearing the boy claim to be talking to a girl. She had honestly expected him to be making it up and she was going to tell him a thing or two about telling lies. "Son Goten, you-" she cut off abruptly as she saw, indeed, a young girl in her living room. She blinked, and then she screamed.

She grabbed Goten by the collar and threw him behind her. "Who are you? Why are you in my house?!" Chi Chi demanded, glaring at Pan with alarm.

Pan stood there dumbly, her mouth hanging open in shock. She wouldn't have been able to respond even if she had known what to say. Her grandmother, the woman that had been practically another overbearing parent her entire life, was standing there staring at her with absolutely no recognition. Pan began to get a very bad feeling about what was going on….

Since the girl didn't respond, Chi Chi decided to take action. She suddenly leaped into the air with a ferocious battle cry.

_Whoa. _Pan knew her grandma was attacking her, and not with a frying pan, but even with the circumstances being what they were-bizarre-she couldn't help but be a little awed by the woman's tenacity. Chi Chi pulled back her fist to strike. Pan saw it coming easily, so she simply sidestepped it. Chi Chi landed with a slightly shocked look on her face, struggling to regain her balance. She turned quickly to look at Pan with horror. The woman knew from that one failed attack that this girl was not to be taken lightly; she was obviously well-trained if she could dodge one of _her _attacks! So Chi Chi yelled again.

"Gohaaaaaan!"

Pan grimaced and took an involuntary step back. _This is just great-I can take grandma easy, but dad? If he attacks me too I've got no chance!_

Chi Chi looked suddenly smug. "You should run while you have the opportunity, little girl! My son is the strongest person on this planet! You have no hope of defeating him!"

_What the hell?!_

The half-Saiyan burst through the door from the kitchen, his power level already climbing, his fists clenched tightly. He looked wildly between his mother and the strange girl in his living room.

"What's going on?" he asked his mother tensely, eyeing the strange girl with a surprised look on his face.

_Oh this is just too much. _Pan groaned out loud at the scene before her. Judging by his height, her 'dad' looked to be about her age, only slightly taller than she was. His face was young, his hair longer and wilder than she was used to, and even his eyes were different. As she stared at him in shock, his features began to soften. He stood upright, abandoning his defensive stance.

"Gohan, this strange girl just barged into our house! Do something!" Chi Chi shrieked as Pan, Gohan, and Goten all winced. "She dodged my punch like it was nothing-she's no innocent girl, she's been trained!"

"Calm down, mom, it's okay," Gohan responded quietly, his eyes still on Pan.

"Don't you dare tell me-!"

Gohan cut his mother off abruptly by taking a step closer to Pan, to which she quickly responded by taking another step back. He could tell by her energy that she had no ill intent. She looked terrified and confused, and she was saturated with rainwater. She looked quite helpless, really. The teen boy smiled tentatively. "My name's Gohan. Are you alright? Do you need help?"

Pan swallowed noisily. She was still dripping water onto the carpet, but her mind no longer registered the fact that she was soaking wet. She was starting to feel very lightheaded. She wondered if the storm outside was actually dying down or if it was being drowned out by the sudden rushing in her ears.

Gohan took another step toward the girl as lightning flashed. Chi Chi was watching her cautiously, while Goten looked back and forth between the three older people with curiosity. Pan backed up again, this time not stopping until she hit the door. "Can you tell me your name?" Gohan continued in a gentle voice. "It's alright, you're safe here."

Pan had the thought that he sounded like he was talking to a wild animal_-that's probably how I look right about now. _The edges of her vision seemed to be turning black.

"What in the world are you doing, son?" Chi Chi was shrieking in astonishment. Gohan interrupted before she could continue, still not taking his eyes off of the stranger in their house.

"Mother, it's just a girl."

Pan clenched her jaw as she leaned back against the door for support, her eyes narrowing. She barely had the time to feel indignant before darkness clouded her vision, taking her under completely.

* * *

_In the "Present"_

The group gathered on the Lookout was a haggard one. It had been four days since Pan had vanished. They had searched what felt like every nook and cranny on the planet, hardly sleeping. Videl looked around at all of the people surrounding her, all of her loved ones and friends. She realized how grateful she was for every one of them: Vegeta and Bulma, Trunks and Bra, Krillin and Eighteen along with Marron, and of course her own father, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law. Even Uub had come. She tuned back in to her husband's voice.

"What do you think this could mean, Kibito Kai?" Videl studied her husband's face. It was amazing that he didn't even look exhausted, unlike most of the rest of them. She supposed he was too focused to feel his body's limitations. "King Yemma already told us through Dende that Pan hasn't checked in with him, so she's still alive." Videl felt a small bit of relief upon hearing those words again; but just like the first time, her heart quickly squeezed in fear as she realized that it meant her daughter's location was completely unknown. _Who knows what could be happening to her right now. Is she hurt, is she scared, is she cold or-_ Videl stopped that train of thought quickly. She refused dwell on what she didn't know; she'd only drive herself mad. And she couldn't let Pan come home to a broken mother—because she was certain that Pan _would_ be brought back to her. She had faith in Gohan: he would bring their daughter home, safely back to her mother's arms.

Kibito Kai sighed, his hands held behind his back. He had come as soon as Gohan asked. He owed it to the Saiyan, to all of them. "There are only two possibilities that I can see here. The first would be some form of Instantaneous Movement, such as my technique. The other is that Pan was taken to an alternate plane—meaning time travel." The long-haired Kai paused as the group reacted to this news, some gasping, some fainting (Chi Chi), others gritting their teeth (Saiyans). He continued quickly, a slightly perplexed look on his face, "But even though it is possible that she may be in another dimension on this plane, by someone using Instantaneous Movement, it's looking less and less likely. Every Kai has been watching and listening, feeling for Pan's energy for the past four days…and there's been not a single sign of her anywhere. I hate to tell you this Gohan…but if she was here and still alive, we would have surely found her by now." He expected the distraught reactions this time. Gohan only nodded once, his expression unchanged.

"So time travel then," the oldest half-Saiyan said under his breath.

"That's no obstacle for us, is it?" Chi Chi had woken up and was currently rounding on Bulma. "Well?! You can just make a time machine or something, right?" Gohan's mother began to look excited.

The blue-haired scientist looked away, a forlorn expression on her face as she walked toward the edge of the Lookout, looking at nothing. "It's not that simple Chi Chi," she stated softly. "We have no idea where in time Pan has gone. We don't even know if it's the past or the future! Besides, her being in a plane that she doesn't belong in will have created an alternate timeline altogether, just like ours changed when Trunks came back."

Chi Chi looked crestfallen. "So that's it? We aren't even going to try?" Tears rolled down her face freely. The entire group looked grim.

Bulma looked up quickly, determination now all over her face. "Of course we'll try! I created a time travel device once before didn't I? I'll do it again, and we'll search all day every day until we find her!"

"That's right!" Trunks agreed, clapping a downcast Goten on the back. "We can do this!"

"But we can't forget that Pan didn't just skip off into the unknown of her free will; someone took her. We have an enemy here," Goten sounded bitter, almost angry as he reminded everyone of this small fact. "What if…" he closed his eyes tightly, "what if we do find her and it's too late?"

Vegeta scoffed, arms crossed over his chest as he stood close to his own daughter. "No one's forgotten that Goten. But we should _also_ remember that this is Kakarott's granddaughter we're talking about. Whatever this being wants, Pan won't give up easily; she's a Saiyan." Even though he'd addressed the younger Son brother with his statement, his eyes were on Gohan.

Gohan, arms crossed over his chest, hadn't really paid a lot of attention to this conversation until Goten started talking. He was calculating the amount of time it would take for them to create a device that could travel through time, and trying to figure out who this mysterious enemy could be. He met Vegeta's eyes though, and nodded tersely, a small gesture of gratitude.

Bulma and Trunks told Gohan to meet them at Capsule Corp. the next day so that they could begin making a time-travel device. Gohan could already hear them talking, making plans as Trunks lifted his mother to carry her back home. He looked around slowly at the others. Marron had walked over to Goten and seemed to be attempting to console him, although he looked quite angry and didn't seem very receptive to comfort. Bra also looked surprisingly angry as she flew away with her father. Videl stood next to his mother, looking at him, neither woman saying anything, just holding hands. He watched as Eighteen walked up to the other two women. Hercule approached Goten also, putting an arm around his shoulders in comfort.

"Anything we can do to help, buddy?" Krillin had walked up, his face as serious as Gohan had ever seen it. Yamcha and Uub stood behind him, silently asking the same question. The Saiyan let out a deep breath, slowly.

He shook his head a little. "I don't know, Krillin. Just…thanks for being here."

"Hey, you never have to ask."

Gohan nodded his thanks again.

"Keep us posted."Yamcha patted him on the back before he and Uub took to the sky in opposite directions.

Gohan turned his sight to the cluster of people left on the Lookout. "Goten." The half-Saiyan looked up at the sound of his older brother's voice. Gohan could tell he'd been crying, though he still looked angry. "It'll be okay, bro." After a moment of gazing at his brother, Goten nodded and his shoulders relaxed slightly. Gohan turned to glance at his wife. She nodded seemingly in response, and then he too took to the air.

Krillin watched his friend flying away, a little shocked for a second that Gohan wasn't a little kid anymore. Even though his best friend's son was nearly forty, it still seemed like just yesterday he had been fighting what seemed to be countless battles at the boy's side. _Man I'm getting old. _He looked to the sky in frustration. _Your family needs you, Goku—we all do. Where are you?_

* * *

Gohan flew with an abandon he hadn't displayed in a while. He was immensely relieved to learn that his daughter was still alive, at least on this plane. And even though he couldn't have said how, he felt certain that she really _was_ still alive, wherever she was. He just knew that he would feel it in his heart if his child's life ended. But all of this was still only small comfort in the face of the daunting task ahead of them. It would be no small feat.

As he flew, Gohan thought more about Goten's comment regarding the "enemy". He had never once stopped thinking about this person of course, his anger growing by the minute. But what Goten had just said struck him. Whatever had taken his daughter was no ordinary being; he had managed to sneak in and out under the nose of at least three well-trained Saiyans, the best warriors in the galaxy as far as he was aware, without being detected even once-which meant that there was every possibility that this was a _formidable _enemy, maybe even a real threat. And Gohan would be damned if he found his daughter only to be defeated by her abductor.

He growled in midair as he clenched his fists tighter, his nails drawing blood that he didn't even notice.

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

_Back in the "Past"_

Pan moaned. She knew even before she was fully conscious that she didn't _want_ to be fully conscious. She couldn't remember what exactly it was that she didn't want to face, she only knew that she really did not want to.

_Maybe it was just a dream_. She opened her eyes slowly-to find herself staring into another pair of eyes. "Gah!" Gasping audibly, Pan scrambled back.

"She's awake!"

_Oh, yeah._

The miniature version of Goten was screaming excitedly, jumping up and down. Pan watched him warily. He turned to his mother as Chi Chi rushed into the room, a cautious look upon her face. She obviously didn't trust Pan yet. The young girl quickly sat straight up in bed, realizing that the room they were in was in fact her father's old room, although it looked quite a bit different. Goten continued singing, "She's awake, she's awake" as he bounced around the room. Chi Chi opened her mouth to address Pan, but Goten spoke again before she had the chance.

The energetic boy paused to ask Pan excitedly, "What's your name?" Goten was entirely too happy in Pan's opinion. She wasn't really surprised by this. She looked at her grandma, trying to think quickly.

_What should I do? Do I tell them who I am? Would they even believe me?_

"Hey!" Goten grabbed her attention once again-as he leaned in until he was about two inches from her face, "don't you have a name?"

Pan sighed in exasperation as she hastily leaned back, "Of course I have a name." Goten's high voice was starting to fray her nerves a little. "It's Son Pan," she stated quickly, before her young uncle had a chance to ask again. The kid had actually opened his mouth and everything. _Talk about impatience._ Chi Chi stilled, and her younger son cocked his head to one side as he leaned back, their brows suddenly furrowed with confusion. Pan was about to mirror their expressions when she realized that she had just unthinkingly told them her last name, which was of course the same as their own.

Pan winced. _So much for remaining incognito. _She nearly smacked her forehead in annoyance. But maybe this would work out better. If they didn't know who she was, they wouldn't very well be able to help her get back home. Besides, it had rendered Goten speechless. _Yep, totally worth it._

Chi Chi and Goten were both opening their mouths to respond to this alarming statement when the former's firstborn walked into the room. "Oh, good you're awake." He smiled at Pan. "How are you feeling?"

Even though she had seen him before, observing her father at her own age was still the biggest jolt, and once again it was Pan that was left speechless. She stared at Gohan for a long moment, studying him more carefully now that the initial shock of being in the past was beginning to wear off. (Time travel was by no means unheard of in her circle.) Her teenage father was smiling at her pleasantly, eyebrows raised expectantly. Pan saw, in a distant sort of way, that he was cute, with just a touch of baby fat still on his cheeks, his strong lean build, and messy dark hair. But what struck her the most while observing him was not so physically obvious. He was different from the father she knew. He looked, somehow simultaneously, both more innocent and more hardened. She saw things in his eyes that she had never seen in them before; she wondered what they meant. It was a little difficult to even reconcile the two as one person; they seemed that dissimilar. Blinking, Pan realized that Gohan's expression had changed while she was scrutinizing him. He now looked surprised.

She tuned back in to catch the gist of what Chi Chi had told her son; Pan's name. Gohan's face now looked a bit more apprehensive. He was silent for a few moments as he took the time to study the teen girl before him, noting the dark hair and eyes, the skin as light as his own. She raised her chin slightly. It was weird for those eyes that (in her mind) knew her so well to be studying her like an unknown creature. She felt a pang for home, for the dad whose eyes lit up when he saw her.

"You're last name is Son?" he finally asked. The female teen only nodded in response. "So…you're a relative." It was more of a statement than a question.

Pan bit her lip. She jumped up from the bed, suddenly unable to stay still. She paced the small room a few times, averting her eyes. "Yes," she confirmed hesitantly. She saw her father's young self nod slowly, following her movements closely. Abruptly, Pan stopped pacing. She had remembered something from earlier, before she had…_ugh_…passed out.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Pan turned sharply to Gohan, her eyes narrowed in accusation. "And how dare you?! 'Just a girl'! I can't believe you would say something like that!" Gohan appeared to be speechless following this sudden outburst. Pan scowled and resumed pacing.

Gohan regained some composure then, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It's not that I don't think girls are…uh…" he trailed off uncertainly. He scratched the back of his head, seeming unsure of what to do next.

"Forget it," Pan sighed. She dropped her arms to her sides, noticing for the first time that the clothes she wore were not her own. She instead wore a long light gray tee shirt, more of a short nightgown or dress than a shirt. Thankfully she also had some sweats on underneath. Realizing that her grandmother had probably changed her, she wondered if she should be embarrassed. This woman didn't know her after all. _Oh well._ She took a deep breath, facing the trio once more. They waited anxiously for an explanation as to how she was related to them. _Just rip off the Band-Aid._

"Okay. Okay." The girl fidgeted with the shirt as the Sons watched her curiously. She swallowed, not even sure why this made her feel so nervous. "Alright so here's the deal: I'm from the future." _There, not so bad._

And Gohan was suddenly back in warrior mode, body tense, brow furrowed, fists clenched at his sides. "Okay," he spoke in calm but tight manner, his face grim. "So there's trouble, then?" Chi Chi had gasped at Pan's declaration, and was starting to look dangerously close to hitting the floor. Pan eyed her warily as she responded.

"Oh no, nothing like that!" she hastily assured Gohan. They all looked confused again, although surprised as well. Pan shook her head. "Look, I'm as confused as you guys. I was going about my business as usual, and then I just woke up out in the woods, in the past!" She shook her head again, still having trouble believing it, even with all the evidence before her. "I'm not here to warn you of any future attacks or anything like that."

Another awkward confusion-filled silence followed this, which no one seemed inclined to break. Chi Chi sat down heavily on the bed Pan had vacated minutes before. She sighed.

"Alright," the woman sounded resolute. She looked at her (as of yet unbeknownst to her) granddaughter. "So who are you then, Pan, and just how far in the future are you from?"

Pan's stomach sank. She knew this part would come. Naturally it would. But maybe they didn't need to know _exactly_ who she was. She chewed on her thumbnail nervously, avoiding their gazes once again. _How do you even say something like this to someone?_ Pan couldn't answer her own question. Maybe she could just sidestep that identity thing….

"Well," she began, looking around at all of them. Her eyes landed on little Goten, focusing on his face. "How old are you, Goten?" The little boy's eyes widened in delight. He had been shockingly quiet for the past several minutes.

"How do you know my name?" he cried, a huge grin on his face.

"Well I know you," Pan paused to glance up at the other two before returning her gaze to her toddler of an uncle, "all of you, where I come from. Where I live, you're a grown-up." She wasn't sure how much he would understand, but if she knew Goten, he wouldn't dwell on it long. Sure enough, the boy frowned for a moment as he considered this before putting on his huge grin once more.

"Oh okay," he replied. "I'm four!" His grin widened proudly.

Pan's head swam for a millisecond, but she held onto consciousness this time. It wasn't really a surprise; that was the age he looked after all. But it was still a little shocking to hear out loud. She nodded quickly. "Well then that means I'm from about 25 years in the future," she responded firmly as she looked at Chi Chi. The older woman blinked several times, her mouth opening and closing comically. Pan almost laughed. Gohan's reaction wasn't quite as humorous; his eyes simply widened.

_How much awkward silence can there be in one day? Isn't there like a maximum allowance!?_

"Wow, you're old!" Goten stated brightly. Pan did laugh then, nearly uncontrollably, bending over at the waist to hold her stomach as she laughed about the whole messed up situation. Goten quickly joined in, even though he had no idea what was so funny. Gohan had recovered enough to mumble, "That is a long time," while the boys' mother only continued to stare. Pan knew it was ridiculous to be laughing like a lunatic right now. The toddler's comment wasn't even that funny. It must have been the stress; she hoped she wasn't going insane, but she just couldn't seem to stop.

Suddenly Chi Chi interjected, "But who are you?!" Pan stopped laughing immediately, although the toddler continued to roll on the floor for a minute before realizing that no one else was amused any longer.

"I'm not sure I should tell you," Pan replied as she squared her shoulders bravely. Chi Chi jumped up.

"Excuse me! You will not be staying in _this_ home unless I know who you are, young lady!" Chi Chi looked dangerously affronted-a scary situation for any person to be involved in.

The Saiyan girl's stomach rolled again. _Ugh…why does she have to be so bossy? She'll never give up…._

"Ahhh…" Pan chuckled as her hand went to the back of her head nervously. "Okay then, I guess." Turning her head away and closing her eyes, she pointed at teenage Gohan. "He, uhh…"

_Just spit it out!_

"...He's my dad. Hehe." She felt her cheeks heating up, although this was an absurd time for it. The room was silent. Pan wished she knew what the others were thinking. She could only pray they didn't call her crazy and toss her back into that storm. After still hearing no reaction for several seconds, Pan peeked at her father. The poor boy looked like he would be the one passing out next if his blank expression was any indicator. Chi Chi's eyes were as round as her best dinner plates as she whipped her head back and forth between her teen son and the strange teen girl; Goten had lost interest and wandered off to play.

Pan scratched her arm uncomfortably. "…Um…" She was saved from having to break yet another awkward silence by her grandmother. Chi Chi jumped up hastily.

"You mean I'm a grandmother!?"

Pan and Gohan gaped at her. Chi Chi's eyes were dewy and seemed to be staring at heaven itself in the distance, her hands clasped in front of her face as she giggled like a teenage girl.

Pan didn't even have the chance to confirm it before her grandmother was upon her, surely cracking her ribs with a hug so fierce. Pan gasped out a small laugh. She supposed there were worse reactions.

Meeting her young father's unreadable eyes over Chi Chi's shoulder, Pan was sure there were.

* * *

_A/N: Well there's chapter 3 in my little dbz world. This one is a bit longer, but still not quite as long as I'd like my chapters to be I think. I've had some new ideas pop into my head, and I'm now trying to figure out exactly where I want the story to go. Thank you once again to all those that have reviewed, you make my day. Keep them coming please, along with any suggestions!_


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own it, I just play with it.

_In the "past"_

Son Gohan went to bed that night with a lot more on his mind than usual. He was sharing Goten's room for the time being, since his mother had insisted that Pan, as a girl, needed privacy. This left her in his own bed. Gohan didn't mind, except for the fact that Goten talked in his sleep. He also snored, kicked, and rolled, which was why Gohan had ended up making himself a pallet on the floor before half an hour had passed.

As Gohan listened to the steady rain from his place on the floor, he contemplated the girl in the next room. The whole situation was unbelievably strange. He could honestly say that this was probably the craziest thing he'd ever experienced, which was _really _saying something. He had been kidnapped multiple times, trained in the wilderness by a green not-so-gentle-man, fought life and death battles, watched his loved ones die, traveled in outer space…well he could go on for a while, but Gohan supposed that none of his—admittedly unusual—past experiences could prepare him for the shock of meeting his own future kid. He wondered how Bulma and Vegeta had kept from freaking out when they met Trunks for the first time. Of course, he knew there were several key differences in their situation. For one thing, they were adults by the time they learned of Trunks' identity. Plus he was already born. Not to mention the fact that they were also dealing with more pressing issues at the time, like surviving.

As crazy as it was to think of himself as a father, it was even stranger to picture his own dad as a grandfather. The thought made him smile a little before he realized that since his father was dead, the girl would never have even met her Grandfather Goku. Gohan tried to stop the onslaught then but it was no use; any time he thought of his father, the torrent of emotions quickly followed. At first he'd experienced it only every few months after defeating Cell, but in the past year, the cycle had become a weekly occurrence.

First came the guilt; the gut-wrenching remorse that came with knowing that his own actions had led to his father's death, had left his little brother without a father at all. He knew without a doubt that it was his fault. His father's words from the Other World had comforted him for about a week, probably because he had basically always believed every word from the man's mouth. But reality set in quickly and Gohan soon accepted what was a simple truth: his loss of control had cost his father's life. How ironic it was that Goku had spent all that time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber fine-tuning his son's skill instead of working harder on his own training, and then died because of it. It was funny; one would think that Gohan, with a mind as well-trained as his body, would have seen Cell's move coming. But his head had gotten too big and he was too far gone to see what he should have. His Saiyan side had been in control then.

Or maybe it he couldn't even blame his ancestry—maybe the real Gohan had finally come out to play that day, relishing in his newfound freedom.

And here came the self-loathing. _Monster, _Cell had called him. He had been right. Gohan had been a monster, an unstoppable one. And he had relished every second of it. The power had been incredible; it was such a heady feeling, the unimaginable force flowing through him. The teen remembered how his body had practically vibrated with sickening joy. The look of fear on Cell's face had given him pure, savage delight. He had discovered that power suited him, in some sick way. The boy he had been was enthralled by his own invincibility—except that he hadn't been invincible. And the only coherent thought he'd had the whole time was to _bring pain_.

_Cause suffering_ his mind had coaxed him, and Gohan had only too gladly complied. It hadn't mattered then what his father said to him; his own mind had been unrecognizable to him, and he'd had no desire to listen.

He _abhorred _himself.

And yet…

And yet, the self-loathing didn't even rival the next emotion on his hellacious emotional roller coaster:

_Longing_. It was a yearning unlike anything Gohan had experienced in his life, a yearning to _feel that power; _to _become that Monster_. It was the one feeling that the young Saiyan carried with him day and night, everywhere he went and no matter what he did. He could feel it always, just under his skin. It vibrated, seeming to him to be an echo of what he'd felt that day he defeated Cell, taunting him in every moment and bringing with it a senseless and primitive compulsion to…destroy. It called to him, just as it had that day, and it was so incredibly tempting. When he actually considered it like he was now, his whole body physically shook from the strain. Gohan did what he always had done when this emotion overcame him. He took slow deep breaths, pushing the longing away as much as possible, until it was at its normal, just bearable level, the compulsion quieted. He willed his body to relax, and it finally did after several minutes. Sighing in relief, Gohan thanked Piccolo in his mind for the intense mental training and meditating he had made him do.

This, as usual, seemed to allow for last part of his emotional upheaval: fear. . Gohan shut his eyes tightly, hoping that this would somehow shut his mind off as well. It didn't work, but then he hadn't expected it to. It was fed by the longing, but what scared him the most was that even after all this time, it didn't overpower it; the longing still outweighed the fear. The fear was not for himself. It was for Piccolo, for his mother, for Bulma, Trunks, and Krillin. For his beautiful little brother, as innocent as a child ever could be….

_Goten_. Gohan allowed the fear to overcome him then, the fear of what would surely come to be if he ever succumbed to the longing. He knew that if the monster that was his truest self ever resurfaced, he would destroy all those he loved, just as he had destroyed his father. Only Goku's guiding voice had been able to control the beast in him long enough to allow him to defeat Cell that day. Nothing would be able to contain it the next time.

And now he had another person to fear for: his…_offspring_. Gohan shook his head. He could hardly even bring himself to think such an absurd notion as having a daughter. Well, an innocent girl in any case, that was just one more person he could hurt.

His surprise at her appearance in his life hit him once more. Remembering the girl had at least distracted him from his turmoil. He considered her almost reluctantly. She was surprisingly…_What is the right word? _Loud? Fiery? Gohan had never been known for his…boisterousness…he supposed this trait must have come from the girl's…_mother_. Gohan pressed his palms to his eyes and groaned in his head as he realized that the girl must surely have a mother. He shoved that thought away quickly; his mind could only handle so much insanity. Besides, the personality of the girl from the future actually reminded him of his own mother's in many ways. _Yeah, let's go with that._

_Or maybe, _inspiration struck Gohan in his state of denial, _maybe Piccolo taught me how to reproduce asexually. _But no, that couldn't be right either, or she would be identical to him. In fact, she wouldn't be a she at all. The half-Saiyan's thought returned to the girl as he attempted to picture her in his mind's eye. Did she look like him? She definitely had his light skin tone, passed down from Chi Chi. He thought he could remember seeing something in her face, maybe her cheekbones that had looked like him. And she may have had his eyes as well. He supposed he would have time to figure it out tomorrow….

The teen rolled onto his side as sleep finally began to overcome him then. The vicious cycle of his riotous emotions always exhausted him.

* * *

The next morning arrived much too quickly for Gohan's taste. At least it had stopped raining, though. He sat at the kitchen table, watching his mother bustle around to get breakfast ready, and his toddler brother bouncing on his lap, giggling. Goten had been a real angel that morning; he had woken Gohan up by jumping up and down on his chest, singing, "Go'on, Go'on, Go'on" over and over.

The little boy in question yanked on his older brother's hair, bringing him out of his reverie. Gohan gazed at his brother, half in exasperation, half affection.

"Lucky you're too cute to be mad at, little bro," he grumbled with a small grin. Goten responded by whacking him over the head with his plastic toy dinosaur. Before Gohan could do much more than rub the newly sore spot on his head, Pan walked in. He noticed she had a funny look on her face. Maybe it was had something to do with the fact that she obviously was not a morning person.

The girl didn't say anything as she entered, walking to the table to sit down in the seat across from the brothers. Chi Chi cheerfully greeted her with a "Good morning!" and Pan responded likewise then, minus the cheer. While she was looking down at the table, Gohan took the opportunity to study her some. He could definitely see himself in her face. Her wild bedhead only made her look more like him. And yes, he could see now that she definitely had his eyes…. Gohan's face reddened a bit as he realized that he could only see the girl's eyes now because she had looked up and caught him staring at her. He glanced hurriedly away.

Abruptly Pan stood up in front of Chi Chi. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Chi Chi beamed, "Oh, what a sweet girl! Do you know how to make French toast?"

Pan smiled sheepishly. "Well, yes. Actually, I learned from the best…."

Gohan thought his mother would just about burst from excitement then. "Oh you mean me! Of course I would teach my own granddaughter how to cook!" Pan nodded and set about quickly preparing the food. It was interesting to see how well she knew her way around their kitchen, and even more intriguing that she knew how much food to make for the family; she was obviously no stranger to a Saiyan appetite. Her eyes accidentally met Gohan's a few times, and he dropped his gaze quickly each time.

When the meal was finally complete and Gohan got a chance to taste the French toast, he had to concede that his mother must have in fact taught Pan how to cook; it was delicious. There was an awkward moment when Pan quietly asked him if he'd like some ketchup and honey for his bacon. He gaped at her, even though she wasn't meeting his eyes. Finally he nodded.

_Whoa._ He supposed he shouldn't be so surprised since she did know him, obviously. He was her own…_relative_…after all, so of course she'd probably know how he liked his food. But as Chi Chi sat down, the two were even more shocked when Pan put a spoonful of applesauce on Goten's French toast. They watched with interest, wondering just what the little boy's reaction to this strange creation would be. A moment later they were flabbergasted once more.

"Mmmmm. Yummy, yummy!" Goten was digging into his food with somehow even more vigor than usual. Pan just smiled knowingly and patted the toddler on the head as she sat back down to start eating herself. Gohan felt a little ill as he watched her dip her bacon in a ketchup-honey mixture.

_Okay_, Gohan amended his earlier thoughts, _she knows everyone else too, apparently. And if she's from twenty-five years in the future…holy crap, the Goten she knows is almost thirty years old! Well at least I know I go that long without killing my whole family…although who knows how much longer I'll last, _Gohan's thoughts were quickly turning south. He felt his arms beginning to shake as the ever-present vibration under his skin intensified. The teen grit his teeth and closed his eyes tightly, shoving the emotions away. _Not here. _He took a deep breath in relief when he succeeded in controlling the feelings, and then took a few more to clear his mind and slow his rapid heartbeat. He opened his eyes then to look around discreetly, assuring himself that no one had witnessed his little episode. Luckily, everyone had been absorbed in their meals. This was bad though…he had never felt the compulsion so strongly before. He couldn't even really classify the compulsion; it was just a mindless need to…power up.

Gohan shook his head slightly and looked at Pan again to distract himself, letting his mind relax once more. _ I wonder_— Gohan's thought was forgotten before he could fully form it. He and his mother were now staring wide-eyed at their guest. She was quite a small girl, but she was positively _inhaling _her food. She was definitely less messy than the average male Saiyan, but her appetite appeared to rival his father's, which was a thing of legend.

And it hit Gohan then like a ton of bricks, so hard that he leaned forcibly back in his chair.

"You're a Saiyan," the words came out even though he didn't recall commanding his mouth to speak them, and they sounded every bit as shocked as he felt.

Pan stopped eating as she looked up, eyebrows raised. Suddenly she glared at him, looking pretty annoyed. "Weren't you listening yesterday? I told you I'm your—" she cut off suddenly, dropping her gaze back to her plate to shovel a ketchup-and-honey-covered piece of bacon into her mouth.

_Oops. _Gohan supposed that it had sounded a little rude, maybe even insensitive. He also realized that those were the first words he had spoken to her since learning that she was who she was.

_I'm a virgin, for crying out loud!_ Gohan pushed the thought away quickly, burning to ask his next question.

"So…do you train?" he was leaning forward now without even being aware of it.

Pan glanced up again, though she didn't pause in eating this time as she nodded in response. He wondered how strong she was then, although he was a little afraid to ask….

"Oh no!" all three Saiyans finched as Chi Chi jumped up with a shriek. "My precious little granddaughter becomes a fighter?! Absolutely not, I will not allow her to become some useless…_gang member_ like my husband!" Gohan and Pan were gaping at her in shock. Goten had resumed eating happily. Chi Chi looked as if she were about to continue her rant when she suddenly sat back down heavily. Before the two teen s could do more than eye her in concern, she was leaning across the table to grab Pan's hand, a look of desperation on her face.

"But what about my Gohan!?"

"What-?" Pan glanced at him in bewilderment.

"Does my little boy become a great scholar?!" Gohan rolled his eyes as his mother looked at Pan as if her life depended on the answer.

Pan glanced at him once more with a small smirk before returning her gaze to Chi Chi. She nodded, laughing a little. Chi Chi jumped up and began dancing around. _What was that look for?_ Gohan thought with a bit of annoyance as his mother laughed and sang like a lunatic. He could swear she'd been laughing at him. The teen started to take another bite of his French toast—and nearly stabbed the table when his mother yanked his plate out from beneath him.

"—What!? Mom, I wasn't-!" Gohan groaned in frustration. His mother was paying no attention to him, too ecstatic to notice anything around her. With a sigh, he scooted his chair back, assuming the meal was now over. He caught Pan's surprised look as Chi Chi snatched her plate too. Goten's little face looked absolutely devastated by this unusual development. He began wailing loudly as Gohan started to stand.

"Were you excused young man!?" Gohan's mother was suddenly shouting at him. He hastily resumed his seat, noticing Pan's broad smile. She was apparently getting some entertainment value from this exchange. He smiled back sheepishly. He knew it was funny so he couldn't even be annoyed.

"Now," Chi Chi said quietly as she placed a new plate in front of Goten and took her seat once more, effectively silencing her younger son. Her eyes were closed, hands folded primly on the table in front of her. She was the perfect picture of poise, the image of a mother who would never dream of yelling at her children. Looks could be so deceiving. Gohan and Pan glanced at each other again, sharing a small smile before giving the woman their attention. "I'm assuming you'd like to get back home…correct?" she looked at Pan, who nodded in agreement. "And I would also guess that your family is worried sick about you…yes?" Another nod. "Well then, you'll just have to go see Bulma and find out if she can find a way to send you back to the future," she concluded decisively.

Trying to be helpful, Gohan interjected then, "Bulma is a really good family friend—"

"I _know_ who Bulma is," Pan cut him off severely with a sharp glare, although its effect was diminished by the fact that she was trying not to smile.

Gohan scratched the back of his head out of nervous habit. "Sorry!" he gave the girl his most charming smile. She laughed a little and rolled her eyes before turning back to his mother.

"So, should I just head over to Bulma's right now then?"

"Well, of course I'm not going to send a young girl all that way alone!" Chi Chi looked appalled at the suggestion. "Gohan will take you," she added calmly.

Pan raised her eyebrows in surprise at this as she glanced at him. "Are you sure? It's really no big deal; I do it all the time…"

Gohan's mother was already shaking her head firmly. "Absolutely, dear. It's no trouble at all. _Right_, Gohan?" she gave her eldest son an innocent warning look.

The teen smiled brightly in response, "I don't mind." He even really meant it, thinly-veiled threat from his mother or not. This girl was interesting.

"Good, it's settled then!" Chi Chi started to rise from her seat once more. "You two should set out right away."

Pan stood as well, a small smile on her face. "Thanks, grandm—I mean, Chi Chi," her cheeks turned slightly pink as she stumbled over her words.

Gohan saw that dreamy look in his mother's eyes again….

"Well of course you'll call me grandma!" she swept Pan up in a hug once again. The girl laughed breathlessly.

"Okay, then thank you grandma," she smiled as Chi Chi released her. Watching the exchange, Gohan realized how strange it was to see someone that he didn't even know looking at his own mother with so much love in their eyes.

Assuming it was safe to stand now, Gohan rose from his seat as well. Thankfully, no one screamed in his sensitive ears this time. However, Pan did look at him suddenly with a slightly astonished expression. She opened her mouth to speak before quickly snapping it shut again. He looked at her quizzically, about to ask what she was going to say, but his mother rushed her off to get ready to leave before he got the chance.

* * *

_In the "present"_

"Impossible." Vegeta watched Gohan blink in surprise. He'd obviously not expected that response.

"What do you mean 'impossible'?"

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest in typical Vegeta-style, regarding the younger Saiyan closely. The two were standing outside the Prince's gravity room, Gohan having caught him just as he finished his training session. He'd needed to let off some steam after the group's earlier meeting on the Lookout. Feeling helpless was something he couldn't handle, and training was his best outlet. Gohan looked more severe than Vegeta had ever seen him, and since he'd known the 'boy' since he was five years old, that was saying something. He was sidetracked for a moment as it struck him how long it had been…thirty-five years since he had first come to this planet.

"_Vegeta_?" He tuned back in to see Gohan's face starting to look angry. He frowned.

"I mean, Gohan, that it is impossible. I would have no argument against training in there with you, but I've already trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber two times, and as Kakarott explained years ago, you can only enter the room twice in a lifetime."

Gohan's face was falling in disappointment even before Vegeta had finished reminding him of this. He shook his head once and clenched his jaw.

"That's fine then," he turned to leave. "I guess I can ask Goten or Trunks, I just knew it would be more beneficial to have someone that was stronger than I am in there with me."

"Hold on," Vegeta spoke again before Gohan could take off into the sky. Gohan turned back to him in question, plus some impatience.

"I don't think you should go in at all," he stated bluntly.

The half-breed was looking more annoyed, but Vegeta continued before he could ask why.

"Training with either of those two lazy-asses would be a complete waste of your time. _They'd_ gain plenty, but you wouldn't get much stronger yourself, if you even did at all," he noted Gohan's grimace as he looked away, confirming that the boy had already known this. "Training with me is your best bet. Spending even one day training with a Super Saiyan 4 will do you more good than a year in the room with Trunks or Goten. They can't even reach Super Saiyan 2 for crying out loud." He took a moment to shake his head.

_Deplorable._

"I can get you to Super Saiyan 4, easily."

Gohan stared at the space to Vegeta's right for a minute. He hadn't disagreed yet, so this was a good sign, Vegeta knew.

"I'm supposed to start helping Trunks and Bulma build this time-travel machine tomorrow," he muttered in a speculative sort of way. Vegeta just smirked. He knew he didn't even need to say anything to this; Gohan knew Trunks and Bulma would get on just as well without him, probably better—the fact was that Gohan was pretty tense right now and wasn't likely to be good company.

No, Vegeta knew; Gohan was more Saiyan than any of their other demi-breeds. He was the only one born with a tail after all, the only one to have ever transformed at the full moon that wasn't full-blooded. Only one thing would be good for him right now, would keep him from snapping.

_Training_. His Saiyan genes had recognized a threat, and they were begging for action. Vegeta could see Gohan's hands shaking slightly, and he knew that adrenaline was to blame.

"Alright." Gohan finally met his eyes, his face all determination. "Let's go now."

Vegeta smirked. For the first time in years, he and Kakarott's brat were truly on the same page. The two turned to reenter his gravity room, his smirk widening as he contemplated the fun he was about to have.

_I hope the kid's ready…._

* * *

_In the "past"_

Pan stretched as she stepped out the front door of her grandmother's house fifteen minutes later. It was surprisingly warm, bright, and dry outside. She had honestly expected to find a swamp after all of that rain. She noticed Gohan follow behind her, although he hadn't said anything to her since her grandmother had hustled her off. The girl wondered how he was handling all of this…her teenage father.

_How weird…_ she speculated whether it was stranger for her, who knew the boy as a grown man—had been raised by him in fact—or for him, who didn't know her at all. The sound of her fellow teen quietly clearing his throat broke her contemplation and she turned to face him. He looked slightly embarrassed, although Pan couldn't imagine why. Suddenly he took a step toward her, raising his arms out in front of him with an expectant look on his face.

_What the hell? Does he want me to hug him!? _Pan stared at him in bewilderment, not knowing how to respond.

"It's a long way to Bulma's. It'll be faster if we fly…don't worry I won't drop you," he smiled sheepishly. Pan was so surprised she could only gape at the boy. It wasn't often that she was left speechless.

She jumped back as he suddenly made a move to swoop her up. "I can fly, dude," Pan stated in a deadpan voice.

"Oh," Gohan dropped his arms back to his sides awkwardly. At least he had the grace to look ashamed.

_Honestly! _Pan was bristling a bit as she jumped into the air without another word. He followed her, she knew, but she didn't look back for several minutes. When she finally turned to face him—after she had decided to cut him a break—he met her glance with a small smile. She returned it somewhat reluctantly. She was surprised to find that this teen Gohan was as hard to stay angry with as her father. She supposed this made sense…

_They are the same person, after all._ But Pan still couldn't get herself to really _think_ of them as the same person. She had to keep reminding herself, even though they looked and acted so much alike. It was all just so bizarre.

She turned back to him, trying to think of a topic of conversation. Who knew how long she'd be here, she might as well have a civil relationship with him.

"So, you're fifteen, right?" she finally asked.

He nodded in response, smiling once more.

"So am I," she added.

The boy nodded again. "Cool." He didn't seem to know what else to say, so Pan didn't push it.

_Well, I tried anyway._

Left to her own thoughts, Pan considered her first night here in the past. _What a phrase…_. She had fallen asleep quickly the night before, and slept like a log, probably because this whole ordeal was exhausting as hell. None of it seemed real, but she supposed the evidence that it was flew right beside her. She glanced at her companion again.

_Can't argue with that._ Facing forward once more, Pan shook her head with a silent laugh.

"Were you going to ask me something to me earlier, in the kitchen?"

Slightly startled, Pan looked at the boy flying next to her. It took her a second to realize what he'd said, and once she did, the girl furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment before quickly realizing what he was talking about.

"Oh, yeah. Well…I was actually going to ask you what I should call you too. Then I realized that calling you…'dad' wasn't really an option since that would be weird for both of us…." The two looked away from each other quickly. Pan wasn't sure why this was so awkward, but it _really_ was. She continued hastily, "But then I realized that there was really only one thing I could call you; your name…" she trailed off.

When she had gotten the courage to glance at the boy again, she could see the slight blush across his cheeks. He met her eyes and smiled, though it looked a little force. "Yeah, that would probably be pretty weird," he laughed awkwardly. "So, who trained you anway?"

Pan blinked at the sudden change of subject. "Oh, um…well my grandpa of course, and then my…dad, Piccolo, Uncle Goten and Trunks a little." Thinking of her grandfather gave Pan the familiar spike of anger mixed with hurt.

Suddenly Pan realized that Gohan wasn't beside her anymore. She stopped in midair to look back, finding him immobile a few feet behind her and wearing an expression she couldn't read. He stared at her for several moments. Pan was about to ask him what was wrong when he finally spoke.

"When you say 'grandpa', you mean…?"

_I _know _he's not this slow. _Pan shook her head in amazement. "I mean Grandpa Goku, of course."

A slow smile was working its way onto Gohan's face as Pan eyed him in confusion.

"You mean," he spoke so quietly that she could hardly hear him, "dad comes back."

Pan's eyes widened as realization set in.

"Oh, _fuck_." Of course it hit the girl now—_Grandpa's dead in this time! _

Gohan didn't even flinch at her expletive, which surprised Pan a little. Instead he floated slowly closer to her, that awestruck smile still on his face. She smacked herself on the forehead a few times, unable to believe that she had just done something so stupid.

"But…how? And when?" Gohan was getting excited now. Pan cut him off before he could continue.

"Oh no, I'm not saying anything else! I shouldn't have even said _that_. In fact, I don't think you should tell anyone else about this. I don't want to mess up the future or something," she told him hastily.

Gohan stared at her openly for a full minute before nodding his head by way of agreement. As Pan sighed in relief, they turned and continued flying toward Bulma's.

The wind blowing through her hair again, Pan mentally smacked herself a few more times. She knew how serious this could be; who knew what little piece of information could change the future. Hopefully this wasn't big enough to cause any problems, although her continued presence surely would. Still, Pan knew that she would have to be much more careful about everything she said from that moment on. Glancing at Gohan flying beside her, Pan was surprised to note the look on his face. Instead of looking excited, as he had only moments before (and as she'd expected), he now looked…troubled. His whole body was tensed.

Was it her imagination or were his hands shaking slightly? She continued to eye the boy discreetly, wondering if she should be alarmed when he closed his eyes and appeared to be taking deep breaths. But when he reopened them, he looked completely normal and at ease. Pan had no idea what to make of this. When he noticed her gaze and smiled broadly, she couldn't help but feel that it looked a little forced.

The girl shook her head a little to brush the strange incident off. _Man, I'm getting paranoid._

* * *

The two flew the rest of the way to Capsule Corp. in silence, Pan absorbed in her own thoughts. She assumed her companion was as well since he didn't say anything. It was amazing how good it felt just to be outside. Flying was, as always, a calming release for her. The last eighteen or so hours had been pretty trying, so she was grateful for the open sky. The clear air quickly relaxed her, tension she hadn't even realized she was feeling melting away. The green of the wilderness below was surprisingly refreshing. As they came upon the city, Pan was completely relaxed and felt much better than she had half an hour earlier.

When the Briefs' successful company and home came into view, Pan was relieved to find that it looked identical to the one she was familiar with. It was good to know that not everything was different. Touching down, the teens ran up to Bulma's door. Pan let Gohan lead the way, knowing that it would probably upset the occupants if a stranger burst in unannounced. She had learned that lesson the day before.

"Bulma!" Gohan called as they entered the dome. After getting no response, they continued into the nearby kitchen, which was also absent of the genius woman. The boy continued into the adjoining laundry room, but Pan stopped in her tracks as something caught her eye—the sliding glass doors leading into the backyard. Looking outside gave her a strong sense of déjà vu; it was almost exactly the same as the yard she had lain in less than twenty-four hours ago. She glanced behind her, to her left. She had slammed right into her father, right there beside the end of the giant island as she ran from Vegeta. Pan felt a lurch in her stomach as she thought of her family at home. Were they worried? Were they looking for her? She was sure they must be beside themselves with anxiety, especially her dad.

Gohan suddenly walked back into the room, shrugging his shoulders. Pan blinked at his presence. It was beyond strange to be thinking of her father, and then see him, but still not see him.

"Let's check the basement, I guess," Pan shook off her thoughts and nodded in agreement. Her expression must have been odd, if Gohan's questioning glance was any indicator, but he didn't comment. The two headed into the hallway that would take them to the basement elevator and the lab Bulma had there.

Abruptly Gohan stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, so suddenly that Pan almost walked straight into his back. Immediately annoyed, she was about to ask him what gave when she took in the strange expression on his face. He wasn't looking at her, but she could see the peculiar look he was directing at nothing in particular, as if he was contemplating something serious, his body suddenly tense. Then he grimaced, glancing quickly at Pan.

"Don't talk," he commanded.

Pan was furious then. _Just who does he think he is? He has no right! _Pan's indignation was interrupted by someone walking around the curve in the hallway ahead of them, nearly running right into the two.

Gohan's demeanor changed in a snap. He was relaxed now, hands in his pockets as he gave the newcomer an almost lazy smile.

"Hey, Vegeta."

Pan gaped in shock, her fury at Gohan forgotten completely. She had spoken, or rather thought, way, _way_ too soon about things not being different. The Saiyan man looked disdainfully at Gohan, ignoring Pan completely. In fact, he looked a lot angrier than Pan was used to. But his _hair_! Pan couldn't believe how long it was, or how gravity-defying.

"What are you doing here, brat?" Vegeta snapped. Pan finally found her voice again.

"_Prince?" _she asked before 'brat' had a chance to answer, astonishment obvious in her tone. She barely noticed Gohan shooting her a slightly incredulous look.

Vegeta glanced at her for the first time then, looking slightly puzzled and if possible with even more disdain than he had for Gohan. He quickly disregarded her in favor of the male teen.

"And what filth have you dragged in here?" he added.

_Filth!?_

"Excuse me-!" Pan began to retort hotly. She cut off in surprise when Gohan took a half-step in front of her, now standing slightly between her and the man. _Is he actually afraid of Vegeta?_ Pan was puzzled by his behavior…this was Vegeta after all, not an enemy; although she knew he had been at one time. Still, that was so long ago….

"This is Pan, she's from the future."

_Well, he certainly wastes no time on foreplay._ Pan had a sneaking suspicion that this was to distract Vegeta from her earlier outburst. Whether that had been Gohan's intention or not, it had that effect.

Vegeta suddenly looked furious though and Pan wasn't sure the tactic had been a good one after all.

"Again? What is it this time!? " he rounded on Pan angrily. His response was much like Gohan's original one had been, only with a lot more irritation. What was it with these people? She'd known them her whole life and had never seen them so jumpy. The girl couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

Apparently rolling her eyes was the wrong thing to do, though, because the Saiyan now looked like he was literally about to tear her head off. Pan was surprised to actually feel a thrill of fear at his livid face, but she wasn't about to let him see it. Gohan quickly reoriented his body once more. He was now standing fully in front of the quarter-Saiyan, body tensed again. Pan stared angrily at the back of his head, feeling a little like a reprimanded child.

"You dare to roll your eyes at me, girl-!" The prince started bellowing before his tirade was cut short.

"Vegeta!" the approach of the woman Pan and Gohan had been searching for spared them from his ire for the moment. Bulma was marching up the hall toward the three, fury written all over her face. She was shouting before she even reached them. "Screaming is not how we greet guests, you jerk!" Pan and Gohan flinched as her voice rose. She stopped suddenly to look at Gohan with a sweet smile as she came upon them.

"Hey, Gohan, what are you up to?"

Before he got a chance to answer, Vegeta was starting in again. Pan had been watching his face for the past fifteen seconds and was surprised he had stayed quiet for that long. "If you would pay attention, you idiot woman, you would realize that we have another crisis on our hands!"

"I just _got _here, you moron-!"

Pan was distracted from the show playing out in front of her by Gohan stepping into her field of vision. He looked a little exasperated.

"Hey, I can protect you and all," he began quietly as the couple argued behind him, "but I'd rather not have to…Bulma would be pretty mad at me if I destroyed Capsule Corp. fighting with Vegeta." Pan gritted her teeth. She was about to tell him to shove it, that she could take care of herself, but Bulma commanded Gohan's attention again before she had the chance.

"So what are you doing here, kid?" she was shockingly calm and pleasant again. Pan was mostly used to this kind of thing from her, although not to this extreme. Bulma suddenly noticed Pan standing behind him and added with a smirk, "And who's your girlfriend?" She winked at the teen boy conspiratorially. "She's cute."

Pan quickly took a step back to put some distance between Gohan and herself. Except for a slight blush, the comment didn't seem to affect him, surprisingly.

"The girl is from the future, you imbecile! You're wasting time that we'll need to train!" Vegeta leaned to the side to eye Pan around Gohan. "Well, spit it out, runt!"

_Oh, this is too much! _"You've got _some_ nerve, jackass—" Pan's outraged response was cut off by Gohan's hand over her mouth. She seethed, shooting him the harshest glare she could muster. His only response to her was an exasperated glance before he turned back to the adults.

"This is Pan, she's my daughter from twenty-five years in the future, she has no idea how she got here, and she's not here to warn us about any threats; she just needs to get home," he spit out quickly before Vegeta could react.

Bulma looked a little taken aback by his abrupt tone. "Oh. Okay then."

This calmed even Vegeta down, and Pan noticed that he was now looking at her with what appeared to be much more interest than he had previously. He turned quickly back to Gohan then.

"Don't you think you could have led with that, brat?" he snapped in irritation.

His mate had found her voice again. "Wow, your daughter, Gohan? How crazy! Yeah, I guess I can see it; she sort of looks like you. But you two look like you're the same age." She turned to Pan with interest. "And you don't have any idea how you got here? Strange…."

Gohan didn't remove his hand to allow Pan to respond, even when she jerked her head to shake it off, so she continued to fume in involuntary silence as the half-Saiyan spoke for her, "So what do you think, Bulma? Do you have some kind of time machine Pan could use to get home? Or could you make one?"

"This is a waste of time," Vegeta declared suddenly, although Pan noticed that he made no move to leave. In fact, he appeared to make himself more comfortable by leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. She narrowed her eyes. Gohan seemed to sense her desire to respond, pressing his hand even more firmly over her mouth and putting his other hand on the back of her head to hold it in place. She ignored his stern glare as she tried to maintain some dignity. She was about ninety percent sure that she failed at that.

Bulma ignored Vegeta as she glanced at Pan thoughtfully, "Well, actually I've been trying to work on creating a device for time travel since you defeated Cell. But I haven't had any luck. I never did get the info from Trunks, so I haven't had anything at all to go on." She frowned grimly. "In fact, I'm beginning to think more and more that there's some essential component that I don't have access to now, like an element that hasn't yet been discovered or something like that."

Pan began to feel a small curl of panic in her stomach. Gohan apparently decided it was now safe to allow her to talk and lowered his hands. "What do you mean? You were able to do it before," Pan was finally able to really speak for the first time, and she was proud that she managed to keep her voice steady.

"That's true," Bulma responded. "But that was over ten years from _this _point in time. I hate to say it sweetie, but…I'm not sure it's even possible to create a device for time travel at this time. I'll try my best but…." She trailed off helplessly.

The small curl of panic was quickly escalating into the full-blown thing, Pan could feel it trying to claw its way out of her throat. She realized that hot tears were now beginning to stream down her face, but she was too distressed to even feel embarrassed.

"What are you saying?" she asked in a small voice, not bothering to try keeping it steady this time.

Bulma bit her lip and looked at Pan with sympathy, but didn't respond. The girl turned to Gohan. Her daddy was practically a genius; he always had an answer, he'd know what to do. But this wasn't her daddy; this was a fifteen year old, just like her. All he did was give her a sad look.

Vegeta scoffed in annoyance from his place on the wall. "You're stuck here, runt. Are you as dull as the rest of your idiotic family? And wipe those disgusting tears from your face; you are a Saiyan, girl. Have some pride—don't shame your bloodline!" The prince's gaze was harsh and his words hurt Pan far more than she would ever admit. This was not the same Vegeta she knew. Sure, he was always rough around the edges, but she still knew he loved her along with the rest of their extended 'family'.

"Pathetic," he added, obviously so thoroughly repulsed that he could no longer even look at the girl.

Pan was flying at him without making a conscious decision to attack.

This time Gohan grabbed her bodily, pulling her away from Vegeta as she stared yelling.

"_Fuck you, you son of a bitch_—!" The half-Saiyan put on some real speed then, and suddenly they were on the front lawn of Capsule Corp. Pan didn't even stop to marvel at how amazingly fast he had moved. She pushed him away from her with a scream of frustration, taking off into the sky in the direction opposite Gohan's mountainous home.

* * *

_In the "present"_

Vegeta flicked his wrist, lazily deflecting the ki blast Gohan had just launched at him. He phased out before he had even lowered his arm, reappearing almost instantaneously right in front of his opponent and delivering him a vicious kick to the temple. Gohan flew across the gravity room and hit the wall back-first, roughly, looking surprised as he opened his eyes. Vegeta smirked, knowing he hadn't even realized he had been attacked until he slammed into the wall. Even so, he had been holding his own surprisingly well against a Super Saiyan 4. It was noon now, so they'd been at it for about eighteen hours already.

The prince landed quickly, Gohan floating down to meet him slowly. Instead of looking surprised, he now looked furious as he eyed the shorter man. Vegeta knew him well enough to know that he was mentally kicking his own ass for falling so far behind.

_Which he should be,_ he scoffed in his head. He also knew him well enough to know that this was a good thing; rage had only ever been Gohan's friend—especially self-directed rage, for some reason.

He nearly smiled as he watched Gohan's descent; he would never admit how pleased this whole thing was making him. But since it appeared that Kakarott was now gone for good, that left him as the strongest and Gohan the second-most powerful. There were several benefits here which Vegeta now contemplated: the half-Saiyan would again become strong enough to be a daunting force in the event of another life-and-death battle; he would have a much needed release from his tension while feeling productive, thus satisfying his Saiyan impulses and avoiding the undesirable side effect of exploding on an innocent person; he'd actually become a _true_ Saiyan warrior again—_Thank Kami—_worthy of the name, and hopefully put that ridiculous scholarly shit behind him; and he'd provide the prince with a challenging sparring-partner, for which he'd be forever pleased about since Kakarott was now gone. But probably the biggest reason he was so smug, and also the one he'd never admit to anyone, was that Vegeta would get to see just how far the boy could go—which he knew was far—and know that he had been a part of shaping that.

He didn't know how Gohan had gone from an enemy he would gladly kill to someone he would protect with his life. He supposed that it had started on Namek, when he realized that he should be trying to preserve his race instead of kill off one of the last few Saiyans. But no, that was only what he had told himself. It was really an interest in the well of untold power that little boy possessed, and how he could possibly use it. And somehow, without him even noticing, it had slowly become more than that. Despite all odds, he had begun thinking of Gohan as his own responsibility even while still wanting to kill his father. Theirs was a strange relationship…and even though he was now a full-grown man, Vegeta knew he'd probably always think of him as the little boy he first met, an idea that was quite at odds with how Goten and his own son thought of Gohan; the Saiyan found it funny that they viewed him as one of the 'older generation'.

Vegeta shuddered a little, slightly disgusted at his thoughts but still unable to shake the pride he felt when thinking about any of the three half-Saiyan boys, and there was a special sense of it for this one.

As Gohan landed a few yards from him, Vegeta narrowed his eyes, suddenly a little angry himself. Pride or no, it infuriated him that the brat had gotten weak enough to allow harm to come to his own child. What had he been thinking, depending on others to ensure the safety of his own? Vegeta had been furious over twenty years ago when Gohan had done that same thing, but a second time…he was livid. He'd make sure here and now that Gohan never made that mistake again…all he had to do was point out that fact to the half-blood, and then—.

He watched Gohan's jaw clench as he smirked suddenly, though he was still angry.

_Yes, _he thought grimly, _you'll be Super Saiyan 4 in no time._

* * *

_In the "past"_

Pan flew without direction, knowing only that she had to get away. How could this be true? Could it really be possible that she might never see her family again? They had been there her entire life, they were everything she knew and loved! She couldn't be without them, she refused. And being around them in this time was like a cruel smack in the face. They looked like the people she loved, but they weren't the same; Vegeta, Goten, and especially her father—they were not the same people she knew. And they certainly didn't know her. It was nearly painful to be surrounded by them, as if home and comfort were just within her reach and yet unattainable at the same time. Why had this even happened to her? How had she ended up here in the first place? The universe seemed to be playing a sick joke on her, and the distraught Saiyan girl had no idea what she'd done to deserve it.

Suddenly Pan was landing without recalling deciding to. Realizing where she was, Pan took some small comfort in her surroundings as the flow of tears slowed. She was in the place that Piccolo had trained her father as a little boy. It was soothing that it looked precisely the same as it did here in her own time. She had been to this place before….

Pan recalled the time in the weeks after her grandpa had left her, the first time. She was four years old, and all she wanted was to train. Her toddler-logic had led her to the conclusion that maybe, if she got strong enough, her grandpa would want to come back and spend time with her instead of that strange boy. The problem was finding someone to train her. Her uncle was uninterested in training by that time, and was too busy with girls anyway. Her dad was willing, but he was just too gentle; he treated her like a baby, as he always did. So Pan sought out the one person that she knew wouldn't treat her like a baby: Piccolo.

The little girl was disappointed at first, though. Piccolo only shook his head and chuckled when she asked him, before taking her back home. And Pan had known, even at that age, that it was all because she was a girl. If she had been a boy, her grandpa would be training _her_ instead of _that_ boy, her father would train her _without_ treating her like a baby, and Piccolo would train her _willingly_. So, knowing that his was the only mind she could hope to sway, Pan did the only thing she could think of to convince Piccolo that she was worth training—she attacked him.

He blocked her easily, albeit with some annoyance, but every single time Piccolo swatted her away she came back more determined. The little girl had punched and kicked at him the entire way home that day. The real trick, though, had been avoiding his grasp, keeping him from simply grabbing her and holding her immobile. She had done it though. Of course, she knew now that he had only allowed her to evade him. By the time they reached her house, she had convinced Piccolo that he should train her. She remembered how proud she had been when he told her she'd be a "great fighter someday".

So Piccolo had announced that he would be training Pan. Chi Chi had been outraged, as expected. Pan's mother hadn't been thrilled with the idea, but she was much more understanding, putting up only mild resistance before she decreed that it could be no more than a couple of hours a day. Her father had only smiled knowingly and nodded in agreement, which had surprised the young girl a little. He usually surprised her though; she never knew if he'd be feeling all overprotective, or understanding of her Saiyan desire to fight. Older now, she understood her father's undying trust in his mentor. Not to mention that he'd known how heartbroken she was by his dad leaving. Gohan usually had a hard time saying 'no' if saying 'yes' could make Pan happy.

Pan sat down cross-legged on a large boulder, contemplating Piccolo's death. Her poor father had been nothing short of _devastated_. So had she, though not to quite the same extent of course. Suddenly Pan realized that Piccolo was still alive in this world. She'd be able to see him again! But she quickly remembered that this Piccolo didn't know her—he'd look at her in the same way everyone else did; without a glimmer of recognition, and certainly without love.

The tears began to flow full-force again as Pan drew her knees to her chest and buried her face in them. She had no idea what to do. She felt so utterly alone, something she'd never been before. Pan knew that she had been pretty spoiled growing up; she hadn't led the rough life of battles and training and the endless stress of the fate of the world resting on her shoulders. She was surrounded by constant love, always, and that was what she was used to.

Pan looked up sharply as she noticed a presence. Her adolescent father was standing a few yards away, watching her with compassion, almost pity. Normally she would have been enraged to see someone giving her that look but she was too distraught to even care.

Suddenly Pan felt a desperate longing for her father; nothing had ever calmed her like being held in his strong arms or soothed her like his kind, gentle voice. She knew it was childish, but all she wanted in that moment was to be held by her daddy. Pan shook her head in slight disgust; it was no wonder her father treated her like a baby. Even so…she looked intently at the teen in front of her, searching his eyes desperately for her dad. But although he looked like him and even acted a lot like him, it simply wasn't her dad at all because he didn't look at her in the same way.

The girl dropped her head again as her tears became all-out sobs. Noticing movement a second later, Pan looked up again to see that Gohan was walking toward her. His expression was completely different now, but Pan couldn't quite place it as she watched his approach curiously.

Gohan didn't pause as he reached her; he wrapped his arms around her and pulled the girl tightly to his chest. Pan was so surprised that at first she didn't even resist. But she quickly came back to her senses and—even though being held felt nice—weakly tried to pull away; he was hardly more than a stranger, after all. She expected him to release her then, but instead he only tightened his arms around her. She supposed she should feel affronted, but anger didn't come. And so with another sob, Pan just gave in. She wasn't strong enough to actually break his grip, although she was pretty sure he'd let her go if she _really_ wanted him to. She decided that maybe she _didn't_ really want him to; closing her eyes tightly, she leaned fully into his chest as she continued to cry, accepting the comfort she had so desperately sought.

It surprised the girl when she realized that even though they weren't her father's arms (although they technically were) she felt completely safe and reassured in them.

Gohan wasn't sure what had made him do it. Something about the way Pan had looked at him for just a moment had made him feel responsible for this girl. For once the vibrating compulsion under his skin had faded to the point that he hardly even noticed it. A stronger urge had displaced it; one to give someone comfort. He just didn't have it in him to let any person, especially one that looked so vulnerable, suffer alone. Surprisingly, it didn't feel awkward to be holding a girl so close. Perhaps this was because they were family, the teen reasoned.

As her sobs gradually quieted a number of minutes later, Gohan gently pulled her back a little so that he could see her face, surprised that she seemed almost reluctant to release him enough to lean back. Recognizing then just how alone she must feel, he felt a pang of desire to protect this very small and helpless-seeming girl from the pain she was feeling. He wished anguish could be fought with fists.

He waited until she met his eyes to speak. "Hey, everything will be okay. I promise you; I'll find a way to get you home." She dropped her eyes and didn't respond. Gohan leaned in slightly to catch her gaze again. "Do you believe me?" he spoke quietly but urgently. He knew he had to give her hope; the despondency in her eyes was mildly concerning when compared to her earlier smiles. Pan gazed at him for a moment without saying anything. He wondered what she saw as she studied him. Finally she nodded. Gohan nodded as well, in relief, and offered a small smile. This time when he pulled her to his chest, she leaned in willingly.

* * *

_Well there is Chapter 4, finally. And when I say finally, I mean __**fiiiiinally**__. I spent hours over about three days writing this bastard…and then my computer screwed up and, long story short, I lost the whole thing—almost 8000 words __**gone**__. I almost cried! Then I spent about eight hours in front of my computer, rewriting the whole thing. I'm so sick of seeing it I could puke!_

_Anyway…I'm finally getting to the stuff I actually wanted to write, now that the introductions and all are mostly out of the way. So, everyone PLEASE REVIEW BECAUSE I LOVE IT and if applicable, let me know what you do or __**do not**__…..want to see happen in this story. Not that I will necessarily agree, but I do want to know._

_So I know it was never said that Gohan was the only not-full-blood born with a tail, but I've never heard it said otherwise. Correct me if I'm wrong!_

_And, if everyone hasn't figured it out already, I have a real fascination with relationships, and families, and their complexities. Creating drama is so fun :D _


	5. Chapter 5

_Quick edit!: **Tell me, my reviewers/readers-am I allowed to change my title? Because I REALLY want to! I never cared for it to anyway-I just needed a title so I put the first thing that came to mind. Terrible, I know! I might just change it tomorrow...**_

_In the "past"_

By the time Gohan returned to his house with Pan, he was surprised to find that a couple of hours had passed since leaving Bulma's. The group had a quiet lunch as he filled his mother in on the situation. Chi Chi was a little surprised by the news, but managed to stay positive for Pan.

Gohan eyed the girl with some concern, but gave her a reassuring smile every time she looked at him. She was being very quiet. He wondered if she felt awkward because of how he had held her before, or if she was still just sad about being stuck here. It only got worse as Chi Chi began asking about their family from the future.

"So…who is your mother?" was her first question. Gohan barely had time to balk before tears were filling Pan's eyes. It was also Chi Chi's last question, and Pan didn't even answer it.

"I don't think she should tell us, mom," Gohan cut in hastily. He didn't want Pan to be upset, plus he _really_ didn't want to know. It felt very awkward to consider talking to his mother about someone with whom he would have a sexual relationship in the future. He'd really never even thought about having sex before, and just the thought made him a little anxious.

Shockingly, his mother only nodded. She obviously felt bad for upsetting Pan, so she quickly changed the subject, "Well, what about school?" she directed at Pan. "Were you home-schooled?"

Pan had recovered swiftly, without even shedding a tear. "I was for a few years, but I started going to school in the city when I was in middle school."

Gohan considered this with interest. He had always wondered what it would be like to go to regular school and be around people his own age. Honestly, he'd never spent any real time around anyone that could be considered a peer; but then again, his wasn't a normal childhood. The teen realized that Pan must have led a fairly normal life, though. This made him glad for some reason. He wouldn't change his past, exactly, but he would never wish his screwed-up life on anyone else. It was something he worried about constantly with Goten. He had made it his personal duty to do two things for his little brother: give him as normal a life as possible, and never leave him. He glanced over to smile at the little guy who was happily stuffing food into his mouth. It was, after all, his fault that the boy didn't have a father. Gohan quickly put his hands under the table to conceal their slight shaking.

_What does this make, three times in less than twenty-four hours?_

He brushed it off with relative ease though, so he didn't take any more time to worry about it. Still, he noticed Pan giving him a strange look. The boy scrambled for something to say that would distract her, but he was saved by his mother.

"Then I'll be teaching you while you're here, however long that may be. We can't allow you to fall behind on your studies!" While Chi Chi looked delighted to have a new 'student', Gohan noticed Pan's less-than-thrilled expression. But it was obvious that she knew his mother well enough that she had expected this anyway. "Now Gohan will have a study partner! And you're both the same age, it's perfect!" she was getting excited again.

_I swear, _Gohan thought with some exasperation, _I've never in my life seen mom so ecstatic. I'm starting to wonder if she really _did_ wish she'd had a daughter!_

Chi Chi looked at Pan thoughtfully for a moment. "But I'm guessing you probably aren't as exceptional as my Gohan…."

Pan's jaw dropped, Gohan saw, but he avoided seeing much more of her reaction by burying his head in his hands. _Come on, mom, _he lamented silently, _How embarrassing._

"No matter!" Chi Chi continued. Gohan wished he could cover her mouth with his hand as he had Pan, but he knew it wouldn't go over as well with his mother. "Gohan will be an excellent help for you!"

Pan looked pretty angry at this point, and Gohan was really starting to worry about where this would go. He wasn't at all surprised when she opened her mouth; he had already learned that the girl didn't take anything lying down.

"I _know _that," she gritted out, although she was speaking with a great amount of patience, meaning her respect (or fear—probably fear) for Chi Chi was great. "Who do you think taught me?"

Instead of being offended at all, Gohan's mother's eyes lit up. He was surprised when she looked at him.

_I want no part of this!_

"Oh, son! You're going to be such a wonderful father!" Gohan was blushing furiously.

"_Mom_-!" he was cut off as Pan abruptly stood. He and his mother regarded her in surprise. His humiliation was forgotten quickly at the look in the girl's eyes.

"May I be excused?" she spoke so softly it was almost a whisper. Her fists were clenched tightly and it was apparent that she was trying not to cry then.

Chi Chi nodded, eyes wide. Pan turned to dash away quickly, a sob escaping her lips.

"Oh no," Chi Chi moaned, head in her hands. "That poor girl!"

Gohan didn't say anything in response as he stared at the opening into the hall Pan had disappeared through before slamming the door to his bedroom. He heard the lock turn and knew that she had sealed herself in. His heart ached for her as he stood to follow. Chi Chi barely noticed his exit as she started cleaning Goten up hastily.

Reaching his own bedroom door, the teen boy knocked softly. He could hear Pan inside, crying even more heavily than she had out in the wilderness, which he wouldn't have imagined possible. Getting no response to his knock, Gohan spoke gently.

"Pan?" he heard her sobs quiet, but she still didn't answer. He sighed. He was really not used to girls: they seemed to be very emotional, although he knew she had good reason. "Will you let me in?"

There was no response for several moments. Gohan was beginning to think she hadn't heard him when suddenly the door opened slightly, revealing the tear-stained girl's narrowed eyes.

"What it is, _Mr. Exceptional_?" she was trying to sound severe, but she wasn't doing very well. Gohan grimaced at the appellation. What the hell was wrong with his mother, anyway?

"I'm sorry. She doesn't always think before she talks," he mumbled as he glanced back to make sure his mother wasn't listening. She wasn't.

Pan's eyebrows were raised in annoyance when he looked back at her. "Look," she started. "It was really nice what you did for me earlier, and I _truly_ appreciate it. But you don't have to do this—you don't have to come take care of me every time I get upset. It's probably going to be happening a lot, so…" Pan trailed off with a shrug.

"But I don't like to see you upset; I want to help you-."

Pan cut him a look so irate that his throat closed off of its own accord. "You," she said quietly, "are _not _my dad." Gohan stepped back in shock at her words. Pan began to close the door, but the boy regained his composure. Holding out a hand to keep the door open, he looked at her with sympathy. She looked back with even more anger, seeming to be bothered that she couldn't budge the door against his hand.

"I don't _want _to be your dad, Pan. I just…want to be your friend. Is that okay?"

She stopped trying to force the door closed to eye him in puzzlement.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a hesitant smile, praying that his wouldn't serve only to enrage her further. Finally the girl sighed and rolled her eyes. Gohan exhaled in slight relief as he released the door, taking it as a good sign that she didn't immediately slam it in his face. After considering him for a moment longer, she stepped aside.

"It's your room anyway, I guess I can't really keep you out," Pan mumbled as the boy entered. Gohan laughed a little as he turned to face her, realizing suddenly that he'd never had a girl in his room. Would this bother his mother? Then again, this particular girl was probably the only one in existence that it was okay to be alone with.

"So," Gohan smiled, hoping to put Pan at ease, "what would make you feel better?"

Pan scowled. "What do you mean? You know what would make me feel better."

"I mean, what do you normally do when you're upset? To help you relax?" he clarified hastily.

Gohan was surprised when she seemed to consider him much more closely all of a sudden, a lot more interest in her gaze. "Train," she finally said.

Her response made Gohan raise his eyebrows. He didn't know why this surprised him; maybe because he hadn't known many female fighters. He could tell by her intense gaze that she wanted to spar with him. But could he do it? What if he lost control of himself and hurt her? She may have Saiyan blood in her, but she was still mostly human—and therefore much more fragile. Gohan hadn't sparred with anyone but Piccolo or Vegeta for three years, not counting the deadly enemies he'd had to defeat. And even the four years before that it had only been his father and mentor. If the freak inside of him came out while he was fighting Pan…he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for harming her. His stomach turned at the thought.

Pan's eyes widened expectantly.

On the other hand, he wouldn't even have to go Super Saiyan to fight her, so he shouldn't really have trouble controlling the urges. Especially just for one short spar to burn off a small girl's steam. He also couldn't help but be curious about her abilities. Seeing her dark eyes so full of hope cinched it; Gohan knew there was no way he could say no.

He let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. "Would you like to spar with me?"

The words weren't fully out of his mouth before Pan was nodding enthusiastically, all sorrows forgotten. As Gohan prayed that he wouldn't regret this later, the girl shocked him by grabbing his hand and pulling him to the bedroom's open window.

"Right now!?" Gohan exclaimed. His question was answered as Pan jumped ouside, hauling him right along behind her.

* * *

Pan couldn't remember ever being so excited in her life. Here she was, in the middle of a clearing a few miles away from the house on the Son family's land, about to face off with the earth's strongest fighter. Gohan shook his head slightly as he looked at their surroundings. She didn't bother to ask what he was thinking. She was ready for this, ready to feel her blood sing in the way that only fighting could make it. She had taken up a defensive stance immediately upon landing, but her partner stood fully upright and did no more than stare at her.

"Are you going to just stand there, or what?" she snapped as annoyance shot through her glee.

He chuckled, eyeing her from head to toe. She realized that he was appraising her, sizing her up. She had an advantage here, though. She had sparred with him multiple times throughout her life, and watched him in action as well, while he'd never even seen her fight. Pan still knew that he was worlds stronger than her, but there was no denying the benefit she had from knowing him in her time.

Gohan raised his brows. "Are you ready to start?"

Pan just rolled her eyes in reply. He obviously thought that she must be a total weakling, and was probably really only doing this to humor her. She smirked.

_Underestimating me will be his downfall._

Wasting not another second, Pan attacked head on, going in for a right hook with all the speed she could call up. Before her opponent had a chance to move, she phased out and reappeared immediately behind him, bringing her arm around to connect with his right temple—only it didn't. Pan jerked to a stop as Gohan vanished completely. Before she had time to look around for him, she was dealt a devastating blow to the back which sent her plummeting into the ground not far below her. She grit her teeth as her head connected with the grassy land. Quickly she rolled onto her back.

Gohan hovered above her, looking at her with some concern. Pan's jaw clenched in anger, determined not to look like a fool.

She jumped to her feet and attacked him again, this time bringing her foot up to strike the underside of his chin. She felt a surge of smugness as this one hit its mark, but the smirk was quickly wiped off her face as the teen boy grabbed her leg and brought her down, connecting her back viciously with his knee in precisely the same spot he'd hit her before. This knocked the breath right out of her, but Gohan had once again disappeared. Whirling around to search for him, his swift kick connected with her left side. She cried out in pain at this one, immediately incensed by her own weakness as she was knocked back several feet.

_Damn! _Pan stared at her opponent in disbelief, fairly shocked by how this was going. She wasn't an idiot; she knew her dad had always gone easy on her but…_damn! _He was her age, and she couldn't even see him move! It was starting to look like that benefit was worth nothing at all. She decided that she might be better off fighting him on the ground and quickly landed before he could decide to attack her. He dropped easily to the earth as well, not a scratch on him. The quarter-Saiyan on the other hand was breathing heavily already, and she knew a few bruises would be appearing before the next morning. Gohan was once again watching her with some apprehension.

"Why don't we call it quits?" he called, sounding like he already knew what her answer would be.

"Yeah, right," Pan muttered before speeding toward him once again. Even though he had expected her to want to keep going, she thought the boy looked a little surprised by the suddenness of her attack, and she finally succeeded in landing a real blow in the form of her fist on his cheek. He even stumbled back a few paces before he regained his balance.

He looked at her with a wide-open mouth, appearing shocked that she had managed to knock him back. Pan just grinned before going on the offensive again with renewed vigor. The two traded blows for several minutes, Pan never gaining the upper hand, but managing to stay with his pace. Since she could actually track his movement now, she stood a much better chance, even though it was frustrating to know that he had slowed down a lot to make it happen. And still, he got more hits in than he missed, while she missed a few more than she landed.

Pan's mind was spinning as she fought with all she had. This was great. _Exhilarating_, even. He wasn't nearly as gentle as anyone else she sparred with in her time. Everyone always went easy on her back home, not wanting to hurt her, she supposed. But here, he treated her like a real opponent, even if he didn't put everything he had in it. But he couldn't, of course, or he'd kill her.

With a sudden realization, Pan ducked to avoid her adversary's kick and jumped back several yards. Laughing a little at the puzzled expression on Gohan's face, she easily took up a position she was sure he would quickly recognize.

"Kaaaa" she couldn't help but smirk as realization dawned on the muscular teen's face.

"Meeeee….haaaa….meee….haaa!" she let the blast go, knowing that she had put all she had into it. Pan concentrated hard on maintaining it, sending the full force toward the adolescent that was her target.

Gohan's face was almost comical in its astonishment. Just when Pan was sure he would be slammed into the ground by his father's signature attack, the boy held out his joined hands and volleyed the wave off its course and straight up into the sky—with what appeared to be annoying ease, no less.

Pan's jaw dropped a little. She gaped at him as the remainder of her attack's light faded away. _He's amazing. I look like a complete amateur. _

The girl blinked suddenly, drawn out of her thoughts when she realized he was no longer standing there.

"Whoa, that was pretty good!" Gohan's voice right beside her almost gave Pan a heart attack.

"Gahh!" she screamed aloud and nearly fell over. The boy caught her forearm and easily righted her, his eyes filled with laughter. Pan huffed as she took in his expression.

"What do you mean? You blocked it with no effort!" she yelled to cover her embarrassment.

"Well…it took _some _effort! And it was still impressive," Gohan smiled genuinely.

The girl scowled, knowing he wasn't even making fun of her; the kid was so fucking humble it was ridiculous! It was much easier to be pissed at a cocky person.

"Well thanks," she mumbled. She started to step away from him and was surprised when her legs actually gave out. She would have gone crashing to the ground if it weren't for Gohan's hand still holding onto her arm.

"Are you alright!?" he cried anxiously, pulling Pan to him and giving her support. She tried to push away, but quickly found that she was too weak to put up any fight.

_Guess I really did give it all I had_…she thought mildly.

"I guess you put everything you had into that Kamehameha, huh?" Gohan echoed her thoughts eerily.

Pan sighed in resignation. "I'll be fine, I just need to rest for a few minutes," she mumbled, feeling like the lamest person on the planet as Gohan lowered her to the ground.

* * *

Two hours later found the two teens flying back to Chi Chi's house. Pan was so embarrassed: she had actually fallen asleep! For two whole hours, right there on the ground beside the boy that had just kicked her ass, and she had been so far gone that she didn't even realize she'd been asleep until she had opened her eyes to see Gohan's face. He had that laughing look in his eyes again, but he hadn't made any comments as they headed back.

Pan looked over to find him watching her, still wearing a silly grin.

"What!?" she cried, mortified at the whole situation.

Gohan laughed out loud. "Nothing!"

The girl growled, but quickly pushed thoughts of her humiliation aside. There was something important she wanted to ask him before they got back to her grandma's house. Swallowing her pride, she turned to the boy once more.

"So. You're an awesome fighter," she stated truthfully.

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a small smirk, which threw her off guard so much that she had to scramble to remember what she wanted to say. "Thanks," Gohan replied with amusement. She could tell he was about to go all humble again, and add 'you too' or something to that effect, so she cut in quickly.

"Will you train me?" she glanced at him hopefully. She could barely contain her excitement at the possibility. Here was the world's strongest being at her disposal, and not afraid to rough her up either. She had the soreness to prove it. The quarter-alien had just had by far the best work out of her life, and it had only lasted about twenty minutes. But Pan was surprised once again by his reaction.

Suddenly he was all seriousness, no remnant of a smile left on his face. Pan felt her stomach drop a little. That look couldn't be good. There was silence as he continued to look straight ahead for several moments.

He looked at her then with a strangely grim air. "I'm sorry, but I can't," he finally said.

The lighthearted atmosphere had vanished; now there was only tension.

Pan narrowed her eyes and looked away, more hurt than she would like to admit. Did he not think she could handle it or something? She knew she didn't compare to him, not even remotely, but she still thought she had held her own fairly well. At least she hadn't given up easily, something she knew her family valued.

_What is his deal? _She wondered if it was her gender, holding her back once more. Suddenly she was sure that was it. It was so unfair. _Sexist bastard. _

"I'm sorry, Pan," Gohan repeated softly, sounding as if he was almost pleading with her. She could tell he felt bad, but it didn't make her feel any better.

"Why?" she finally asked, not even trying to hide her anger.

He didn't respond. _Asshole can't even say it! _"You think because I'm a girl, I can't keep up, that I'm not worth your time!" she finally accused him.

"No, that's not it!" he was immediately protesting, though he didn't follow with anything else.

"I thought you wanted to help me," Pan mumbled. She could feel tears pricking her eyes.

_I'm so sick of crying!_

Gohan winced at her comment. He grabbed her arm to make her stop in midair and face him. "I _do_. I really am sorry…it's just…"

"Save it," Pan cut him off harshly, yanking her arm from his grasp. She felt a stab of regret at the look of hurt on his face, but pushed it away quickly. Without another word, she took off again. The teen must have known it would be a bad idea to push it, so he didn't say anything else.

Pan ran straight inside as they reached the house. Chi Chi looked up as she came in, Gohan close behind her. "Where were you two?" she asked. She didn't look angry, weirdly, just curious. Little Goten, who had been playing on the floor, ran quickly over. He never could miss out on any action.

"Uh…Go…_he_ was just showing me around," Pan answered quickly, jerking her head behind her. "Nothing important," she added this just to spite him, and then forced a sheepish smile onto her face. "Sorry for running out grandma. I could really use a shower, though." She prayed Chi Chi wouldn't notice how very dirty she was for only being 'shown around'. Not to mention the fact that this was her home, and there wasn't much he could show her that she didn't already know well. Luckily, someone seemed to be listening to prayers right then.

Chi Chi smiled. "Are you feeling a little better now?" she almost sounded cautious.

Pan nodded, trying hard not to overdo it. She wasn't sure her grandmother bought it entirely, but she did nod back. "Okay, good then. Go ahead and get cleaned up, dinner will be ready soon."

The girl headed into the hallway, walking toward the bathroom quickly. She was a foot from the door when the person she was so pissed at appeared in front of her, causing her to stop abruptly.

"Hey, listen," he began quietly. Pan didn't let him do more than begin, though, stepping around him quickly and entering the bathroom. She tried but failed to avoid his gaze as she turned around to close the door. The boy looked so sorrowful that Pan almost felt bad for him, his dark eyes more unhappy than she would have expected. She slammed the door, angry at how hard it was to be angry at him.

_What the hell does he want from me? _she raged internally as she got into the shower, turning the hot water up as far as it could go. The stream of heat soothed her achy body. _He has no excuse—my family was the way they were with me because they loved me. But _he's_ just being a chauvinist. _Briefly Pan wondered if it could be something else. But what could it possibly be? She choked back a sob. She had been so excited; something good could have come of this fucked up situation, but now she didn't even have _that_. For some reason, it seemed like having that hope and then having it snatched away made this whole thing a lot harder. The jerk had been fine with playing _hero_, being strong and comforting her when she was weak, but he refused to help her become stronger herself. _Typical guy._

In a distant corner of her mind, Pan recognized that maybe she was being a little ridiculous. She didn't know why she was so emotional today, but it was really draining_. It must be the stress, _she concluded.

During her long shower, Pan got as many tears out as she could, deciding that she could never let that dumb boy see her cry again.

* * *

After finishing her shower, Pan quickly realized she had a problem; her only clothes were filthy.

_Oh shit. _

Now what? She couldn't walk out there wrapped in nothing but a towel, not in _this_ time anyway. After contemplating this situation for several minutes, Pan realized she had no choice but to call for her grandmother. She opened the door, peeking around. Relieved to find no one in the hallway, the girl opened her mouth to call for Chi Chi, praying no one else would come to answer her call. Something in the corner of her eye stopped her, and looking down, Pan was surprised to find a neatly folded pile of clothes on the floor. Sighing in relief, she quickly scooped them up and closed the door again. Her grandmother must have realized the situation even before Pan did, thank goodness. She quickly pulled on the black tee shirt and gray sweatpants, both a bit oversized. Unfortunately, there was no bra or panties included in her little care package. She really would have thought that her grandmother would think of these things, but hers probably wouldn't fit Pan; _would have been weird to wear them anyway_. She shrugged, deciding to just skip panties. It felt pretty weird, but she could deal as long as no one de-pantsed her. A bra was another matter. A year ago, Pan could easily have gotten away with not wearing one, but since she had filled out a little it was no longer a true option. She grimaced as she pulled her own sports bra back on. It didn't feel damp like she expected it to, so Pan counted herself lucky.

Walking out clean and in—mostly—clean clothes, Pan felt refreshed and resolved. She could get through this alone; she didn't need any friends. Walking into the kitchen, she found Gohan holding Goten as the little boy tried to squirm away. She knew Gohan was looking at her, but she ignored him completely.

"Oh, you found some clothes!" Chi Chi sounded surprised. "I'm sorry, I should've realized you'd need some new ones, but it looks like you got some yourself," she smiled pleasantly and continued stirring the pot of something delicious-smelling on the stove. Pan cocked her head to the side, confused as hell, but she quickly realized that it could only have been one other person. She scowled slightly, wishing she would have thrown the clothes out the window rather than accept help from him. She still refused to look at him, even though he was _still _staring at her.

_If he expects a 'thank you', he's going to be waiting a while. _She knew she was being petty. It had actually been extremely thoughtful of him. Knowing her dad, she supposed it shouldn't surprise her, but she was still having trouble merging the two in her mind.

But she wasn't ready to forgive him yet; she was known for being stubborn for a reason. Pan asked her grandma sweetly what they were having for dinner, avoiding the boy's gaze. She was relieved when he finally mumbled to his mother that he was going to shower and placed his brother on the floor. Once he was gone, Goten promptly started running around and around the table, bumping into his mother's legs, the chairs, and anything else within reach.

Pan quickly realized that cooking with Goten the toddler was nearly an impossibility, so she offered to entertain him while her grandmother finished getting dinner together. Chi Chi agreed with obvious relief, and Pan almost laughed as she considered that this rambunctious little ball of energy was her uncle.

"Come on, Goten," she took his hand and led him into the living room. It surprised her how well he listened to her, following happily. She sat down on the floor and pulled him onto her lap. He gave her his huge, innocent smile, making Pan realize just how much she missed her uncle. He had always been a lot like a big brother, teasing her and stuff. But she had loved him like mad from day one, and she knew he felt the same.

"Do you remember my name?" she asked the toddler on her lap.

He nodded in the exaggerated way that little kids do, shouting "Pan!" She laughed at his antics and he joined in quickly, making her laugh even harder. Could he get any cuter? Pan had never been around any small children; in fact _she'd_ always been the baby of the group. She marveled at how easy it was to be with him though, as he began to show her all of his toys with enthusiasm.

"And this is my dinosaur: Buster." Pan bit her lip to keep from laughing as she recognized the toy. Her uncle had always acted like the thing didn't matter to him, but one time when she was about five she had accidentally broken its tail off and Goten had been furious with her. The way the little boy held it now, Pan could tell it was his pride and joy. Suddenly the Saiyan girl realized that there was great potential for blackmail here in the past…

"Hello, Buster," she managed to get out without laughing. Goten glanced at the toy and then back at Pan. "Buster says 'hi'," he murmured.

"Buster seems nice, but he's kind of scary looking," Pan humored the kid, "Is he a nice dinosaur, or is he mean?"

"He's nice!" Goten insisted.

Pan laughed and nodded, surprised when she suddenly felt something hard against her cheek. She looked down to find Goten lowering Buster from her face, looking like he was about to burst with glee.

"Buster gave you a kiss, 'cause he likes you! He thinks you're nice!" he proclaimed loudly.

"Oh does he? Well, I think he's nice too!" Pan was surprised again by how much easier it was to be around her 'uncle' of the past than her 'father' of the past. There was nothing awkward or uncomfortable about it at all. Then again, this Goten didn't really know who she was since he was too young to understand. She smiled, giving the little boy a kiss on the cheek while he was busy laughing. He frowned a little and rubbed the spot, seeming surprised. Then his eyes lit up as he considered Pan.

"Does that mean you like me?" he asked excitedly.

"Of course it does!" Pan responded. She was suddenly very glad she had decided to spend some time with little Goten; he was a great distraction. The boy wrapped his arms around Pan's neck and pecked her on the cheek before leaning back to giggle like a little girl.

_Awwww. _Pan couldn't help but fall in love with him a little.

"You are just the sweetest little boy I think I've ever seen!"

Goten looked like he was about to respond when something caught his eye over Pan's shoulder. She turned without thinking, still beaming about her newfound friendship with her baby uncle. The smile dropped away quickly, replaced with a straight face.

"Go'on!" Goten jumped up from Pan's lap to leap into his brother's arms. She thought about how funny it was that Goten had slight trouble pronouncing his brother's name when he said everything else with ease. Then she felt the slightest twinge of jealousy at the way his little eyes had lit up upon seeing Gohan, although she grudgingly had to admit that the teen was stupidly adorable with his baby brother, giving him what she could tell was an absolutely adoring smile.

The oldest half-Saiyan turned to Pan then, giving her a small smile. She could tell that it was a peace offering, but she simply turned away, knowing that no reaction would hurt him more than anything.

_Damn, when did I become so vindictive? _She wondered, feeling slightly guilty again. But she shook it off as she got up and walked back into the kitchen, proud of herself for avoiding his eyes the whole time.

* * *

In her bed a few hours later, or Gohan's bed, really, Pan thought again about how nice the he had been to her that evening. It was obvious that he hated to have someone upset with him. She had lost count of the number of times he had tried to catch her eye. He had quickly started trying to anticipate her needs, offering to fill her drink during dinner, asking her if she needed more blankets that night, giving her another shirt of his to sleep in. She managed to mostly ignore him. There were a few times when he asked her a direct question—in an annoyingly cheerful voice—that Pan was forced to answer, or her grandmother would have noticed that something was up. Still, she answered without looking at him while using the least amount of words possible.

When Pan had gotten up later to head for bed, she was unsurprised to find the slightly taller teen blocking her entry. He was making an aggravating habit of this. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried her best to look blank. His dark eyes were troubled as he took in her harsh stance.

"Pan, please don't be upset with me," he took a hesitant step closer to her. "Not wanting to train you has nothing to do with you—it's me…" he trailed off, seeing by her unchanged expression that he wasn't getting anywhere.

_Seriously? He's pulling the 'it's not you it's me'? Unbelievable. _

"Are you finished?" she asked calmly after a moment of silence. Gohan looked away from her, appearing to finally be resigned, and nodded slightly.

She stepped around him without another word, and he turned around to watch her go.

"Goodnight," he spoke so quietly she barely heard him. Something made her look up before closing the door, something about his voice. Pain and a small amount of guilt lanced through her body as she met his dark eyes, surprised by the nearly palpable hurt in them. She hated herself a little then; something about the males in her family—they were all hard to stay angry with. But her father was by far the hardest; not only was he a little naïve, he was unimaginably kind and considerate, the kind of person that would sacrifice anything for anyone. His father and brother would too, on the battlefield, but they didn't have that everyday sort of bleeding heart that her dad was famous for. Thinking of how much she missed him, how horrible she felt for being…horrible to this young version of him, and how upset he looked, Pan suddenly felt exhausted. She didn't have the energy to be angry anymore. If he didn't want to train her, it was his choice, and knowing him he probably had a good reason; her being a damn baby about it wasn't going to change anything, and he really didn't deserve to be treated that way.

She had forced a small smile onto her face, though she knew her eyes were filling with tears. "Goodnight," she'd mumbled back before closing the door gently on Gohan's surprised face.

Lying there considering all of this a few sleepless hours later—which was incredibly annoying considering her exhaustion—Pan's last thought was how pathetically short-lived her promise not to cry in front of him had been. As sleep blessedly pulled her under, she realized that she didn't even really mind.

* * *

In the room next door, the half-Saiyan boy struggled with his demons. He had never felt so awful about upsetting someone before, but something about Pan's eyes just tore him apart inside. He had thought it couldn't get any worse when she had looked at him with so much anger, but he had been wrong twice; being ignored completely cut into him like a knife every time, and then that…desolate look she had given him before closing the door…Gohan's stomach turned remembering her face, the unshed tears that filled her eyes. She had looked utterly alone and hopeless. It had been physically painful for him to turn and go into Goten's room then, but he knew without a doubt that she would only be more upset if he tried to follow her that time.

Gohan was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts by his little brother. "Yummy, ice cream pizza…" he mumbled dreamily, still asleep. The older half-Saiyan smiled a little in amusement, remembering Pan with Goten earlier. He had to admit it had been pretty cute. Goten had later confided in him, with a huge smile of delight, that Pan liked him. He had then proceeded to ask—perceptive little guy—why the girl didn't like Gohan, prompting the teen to quickly shush him. He really didn't want his mother to get involved.

Truly, it hurt to think that she actually didn't like him, which was certainly the impression she was giving. He had a small bit of hope, since she had actually responded earlier and given him a small smile, although he almost preferred her anger to that sad look. The teen turned over, unable to get comfortable. He knew sleep wouldn't be coming anytime soon with the way his mind was whirring. He sighed, forcing himself to actually contemplate training her. Sparring with her today had been just fine…had been great in fact. He was surprised by how much he had missed it. But actually _training_, probably several hours a day…that was a different matter. Convincing his mother to allow it would be a hurdle, although he thought they could get around that. The fact that his body was trembling with excitement just imagining training again made him even more apprehensive. Although…he had to admit, the compulsion often quieted in Pan's presence—something about her seemed to calm it. He had been in complete control today, actually forgetting about his worries of the monster being unleashed.

Unable to lie on his makeshift bed on the floor any longer, Gohan got up quietly so as not to disturb his brother, noticing that it was only two a.m. He froze as Goten started talking, but after hearing, "That's _my_ brownie, Buster…" he relaxed and crept out. Without thinking about it, he walked silently to his bedroom door and opened it to slip inside.

Pan was curled on her side, facing him, fast asleep on his bed. She looked so soft and innocent in sleep, no anger, sadness, or worry marring her face.

_She's pretty, _he mused.

Gohan sat down on the floor with his legs folded, an elbow propped on his knee, his hand supporting his head as he considered her. He realized it would be much easier to sleep on the floor in here, since Pan obviously was a much quieter sleeper than Goten. But he didn't lie down, knowing that actually _sleeping _in his bedroom with a girl would definitely upset his mother—future daughter or not. So he simply continued to watch the small Saiyan sleep, realizing idly after a few minutes that this probably made him a first-class creeper. Still, he couldn't get himself to leave. Instead he continued to deliberate, carefully weighing the pros and cons of training her.

A few hours later, the decision was made, even though the facts hadn't changed. He wondered with slight amusement if he was doomed to give this girl he barely knew everything she ever wanted for all eternity.

* * *

When Pan opened her eyes around seven the next morning, Gohan knew she was pretty surprised to find him looking at her. She sat up quickly with apparent alarm. She had opened her mouth to scream, but managed to swallow it, he was relieved to see. He was surprised to note that she didn't look angry at all, but maybe it was just the shock; just in case, he spoke before she could recover.

"I'll do it."

Pan gaped at him, understanding immediately, although she looked wary of believing his statement. He grimaced, knowing he probably didn't deserve her trust, though he was determined to earn it. She blinked a few times before finally responding.

"Why now?"

Gohan sighed. He really had no idea how to answer this. Somehow, he didn't think '_I've decided that you being upset with me is worse than the potential for me to lose my mind and destroy the world_' would sound very good. Instead he said simply, "You convinced me."

Pan narrowed her eyes, not looking convinced of this herself. Gohan bit his lip uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

"So…how about we start tomorrow?" he added, hoping that this would assure her of his sincerity.

He was pretty sure he had succeeded when she suddenly jumped up from the bed to tackle him enthusiastically. She must have decided that she didn't really care about his reason, as long as he was doing it, which didn't bother him at all.

He managed to stay on his feet, but only just as she hugged him tightly, her eyes lit up like a child's she was so full of excitement. He laughed a little, pleased with her response, not to mention a little relieved. He had been worried she would never forgive him. The teen was startled by her next move—a kiss on his cheek, but he only laughed more, slightly embarrassed by the affection. His family wasn't particularly big on PDA, especially if you went out on a limb and decided to count Piccolo or Vegeta, so he wasn't at all used to this. Trading punches was more common for his household. Pan had already released him and begun jumping around in a strange dance, oblivious to his thoughts.

"I can't believe I'm going to be trained by the strongest person on earth!" she was crying happily.

Gohan blushed a bit at that. It wasn't a title he was used to, even if it was true. Pan turned back to him suddenly looking startled, pushing him out the door before he knew what was happening.

"And how dare you come into a girls room while she's sleeping, I know you have better manners than that!" she was scolding. He turned to face her, marveling at the rapidly fluctuating moods of females. She smirked at him though as she leaned against the doorframe, so he knew she was mostly teasing him.

He half-grinned, half-smirked at her, wholly relieved that she was so happy with him. "Sorry," he mumbled as he scratched his head. Gohan knew he didn't look a bit contrite, but Pan didn't seem to mind. The girl's eyes suddenly widened as if in surprise before she shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes at him with another smile.

He heard her continued shouts of glee behind the door after she closed it. Gohan walked away unable to get rid of the smile on his face, despite the small fear that stayed lodged in his gut.

* * *

Eating breakfast an hour later, the half-Saiyan's high had worn off considerably, and he was now having some trouble keeping his eyes open. His mother had to repeat his name several times before he responded to her; even then he wasn't sure what she had said. Thankfully she seemed pleased by the nod of his head. He took the time to wonder what he had just agreed to before his lids began to droop again. A moment later he was awoken by a slight kick to the shin.

The boy looked up in shock to find Pan staring at him from her seat to his left with a little bit of laughter in her eyes.

"_Gohan_!" he flinched as his mother yelled again, commanding his full attention. Well, almost his full attention; he did take the time to nudge Pan back with his foot, hiding his smile as he looked at his mother with as much innocence as he could round up. The human woman eyed him shrewdly, even having risen from her seat to yell at him.

"What in the world is the matter with you!? Why are you having so much trouble staying awake, didn't you sleep last night?" she was obviously very annoyed, his Saiyan hearing informed him.

The teen tried to keep himself from glancing at Pan then, but he failed completely. Unfortunately the girl totally noticed, eyebrows raised in surprise. His mother didn't seem to see anything, though, so he counted himself lucky for that.

"Well…" he tried to think fast, "I didn't sleep well because Goten snores and talks in his sleep. I'm just not used to it yet, don't worry," he tacked the last part on hastily, hating to sound like he was complaining.

Chi Chi seemed to accept this answer, Gohan was grateful to see. "Hmmm, that is a problem." She sat back down and seemed to consider this for a moment before coming to some decision. "Well, since it looks like Pan will be staying with us for a little while," she squeezed the girl's hand briefly with a small smile, which Pan returned, "we should probably come up with a better sleeping arrangement. We'll just have to clean out the extra room that we use for storage. It really needed to be cleaned out anyway." Gohan's mother looked pleased with herself, but then she usually liked her own ideas.

Gohan nodded drowsily. He didn't mind this one either.

After a few minutes, his mom made another discovery concerning Pan; the girl was still wearing a shirt and pants two sizes too large.

"Are you wearing Gohan's clothes?" she cried in shock. "Oh, no, that won't do! A lady needs a lady's clothing, dear," she told Pan with much patience, as if the girl had any other choice. Even through his half-asleep haze, Gohan saw Pan's scowl at the word 'lady'. Chi Chi on the other hand was oblivious as ever, which the teen was quickly realizing was a good thing when it came to Pan.

Finally she responded. "I don't have any other clothes, grandma. The ones I came here in are dirty."

"Even so, you couldn't wear that same outfit every single day; we'll have to buy you some new things," the woman stated. Pan tried to argue, saying that it wasn't necessary; she hated to be a burden; big clothes weren't the end of the world; yadda-yadda-ya…Gohan jerked awake. This conversation wasn't exactly riveting for him. His mother was shaking her head adamantly.

"We'll be buying you some new clothing and that's all there is to it. You're family, not a beggar off the street!"

Pan finally gave up.

"In fact, we'll go today, after breakfast," she added decisively. Seeming to expect Pan to argue with this, Chi Chi narrowed her eyes as if to dare her to. The girl had in fact opened her mouth to probably do just that, judging by the horrified look on her face, but she snapped it closed at Gohan's mother's look and nodded instead. To her son's dismay, Chi Chi turned her attention to Gohan then.

"And you, Gohan, can start cleaning out that room. Getting it done today means you'll be able to sleep there tonight." He knew better than to do anything but agree.

"Grandma," Pan looked surprisingly guilty all of a sudden, "I appreciate that you're going to get me new clothes. But, please, at least let me stay and help clean the room. It's my fault you have to do it at all, plus I just feel like I need to do _something_ to repay you for the clothes; for everything really!"

Gohan narrowed his eyes, not quite buying her piousness; he was pretty sure this was an act, and he could guess why it was being pulled. Seeing his mother's reaction then, the half-Saiyan rolled his eyes. She looked as if she had just seen an angel.

"Oh you sweet, wonderful girl," his mother began—Pan widened her eyes pleadingly—"Well, I suppose if that's what you want, then of course you can help out. But you really don't need to; you've already been a great help around here—watching Goten, helping to cook and clean." Pan was shaking her head quickly.

"That's not enough! This puts more work on someone else," she glanced at Gohan "and that just doesn't sit well with—" she seemed to swallow "—how I was raised." Gohan almost laughed. _Easy, tiger. _Pan tacked on a sheepish smile toward Chi Chi, although she glanced back at Gohan to cut him a threatening glare; obviously she could tell he wasn't buying it. He smirked at her sleepily, only caring to keep his head supported by his palm at that moment.

His poor mother, missing their exchange entirely, was probably about to have a heart attack from sugary-sweetness-overload. Since she didn't seem to be able to say anything, Pan stood and began clearing away used dishes, throwing Gohan a smug smile. He only shook his head at the impossibility of what had just occurred; except fot his father perhaps, he had never actually seen someone play his mother and succeed—the girl was good.

Chi Chi was shaken from her happy trance when the phone rang two minutes later and she jumped up to answer it in the living room. Gohan took the opportunity to yawn.

_Man, I'm exhausted—I really should've gotten some sleep last night._ He felt the smallest bit of guilt at blaming Goten for his lack of energy.

Hoping to wake up, Gohan began to stretch slowly, arms above his head—and was shocked to be interrupted by a jab in his ribs from Pan. He gasped out a high-pitched laugh involuntarily, and was immediately embarrassed. She was already snickering.

"That was supposed to _hurt_!" Pan gasped between bouts of uncontrollable laughter. "Not make you giggle like a little girl!" she was too engrossed in her glee to be annoyed that she couldn't even hurt him.

"Yeah…well…I'm ticklish, okay!? Gohan proclaimed in his defense, trying to will his cheeks to return to their normal color and maintain a little dignity. Pan laughed harder at his comment, leaning on the counter beside her for support. Even more annoyingly, Goten had joined in loudly, as was his exasperating little habit. Gohan sighed with a slight shake of his dark head. In spite of his embarrassment, he was glad to see Pan in such high spirits; he'd take her laughing at his expense over her anger or desolation any day. Still, he couldn't just take that lying down….

"Training starts now," he mumbled under his breath with a small smile. Gohan jumped up faster than the speed of light and swept his leg beneath Pan, tripping her easily—but since he wasn't totally mean, he caught her before she hit the floor. The girl's laughter was choked off by a shrill scream as she found her upper body suddenly suspended parallel to the floor, supported only by Gohan's hand on her back. He grinned as she opened her eyes to stare at him in shock, instinctively grabbing at his shirt to stop her assumed descent.

"Lesson number one:" he said softly, "don't ever take on an opponent you have no hope of overcoming." Before Pan had a chance to respond, he righted her and smirked lightly. She laughed a little, but recovered quickly to point out his flaw.

"Isn't that pretty much the _opposite _of our family's philosophy?"

Gohan raised a brow. _Not for you. _He knew better than to say that out loud, though. Pan didn't seem to expect a response from him, anyway, as she shook her head with a wry smile and continued.

"You think you're hot shit, don't you?" the dark-eyed girl sounded surprised, holding his gaze with a smirk of her own. She looked strangely impressed. Gohan smiled innocently.

"That was Bulma," Chi Chi announced to the young people in her kitchen as she reentered suddenly. Pan and Gohan jumped, but the adult didn't notice. "She was calling to check on Pan. I told her I was about to go shopping if she'd like to come along," she looked at Pan to offer an explanation with a roll of her eyes, "she knows more about how young people dress today than I do. Plus, her mother's agreed to watch Goten and Trunks while we shop, which is a huge help; that way you two won't have Goten to contend with while you're cleaning that room out. They'll be here to pick us up in half an hour." She narrowed her eyes slightly at her older son, "Which means that you'll have no excuse for not having that room cleaned by the time we get back."

_Geez, mom—it's not like I was a disagreeable child—ever! _Then again, he supposed his mom thought she had to be so strict with him because he had defied her wishes several times in the past to train, fight, or go into space. Oh, and sneak away from homework. Maybe it wasn't such a mystery after all.

"Yes, mother," Gohan said, managing to keep sarcasm out of his voice.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Pan offered, smiling brightly.

Chi Chi nodded, satisfied, before turning to the suddenly-shouting Goten to clean him up.

"Trunks is coming! Yay!" the toddler's face was full of excitement at the thought of getting to see his best friend, but Pan, strangely, looked a little stricken.

* * *

Precisely twenty-five minutes later, a giant capsule-copter landed on the Son's front yard. Pan watched through the kitchen window from where she was just finishing putting away the clean dishes as Bulma climbed out with a pint-sized, lavender-headed child.

_Ohhhh, boy. _She wondered if meeting Trunks in the past would be even weirder than meeting her own father in the past. She glanced at the teen two feet away where he was drying the last dish with a towel. He smiled pleasantly at her. _No, not possible. _Still, Pan knew it would be really weird to talk to the toddler-version of the man she had, until recently, been crushing on for the past two years or so.

_Oh well_, she thought as the boy ran inside to greet his dark-haired buddy. Watching the two youngsters, the quarter-Saiyan had to admit to herself how adorable they were, hugging and laughing—and running and toppling chairs and breaking lamps. Then she would only admit immense relief at not being the poor soul stuck with the monstrous duo for more than ten minutes. She winced as she thought of Bunny.

_How could Bulma's mother possibly handle these two!? _Then again, she reassured herself, Vegeta would be right around the corner.

_Hmmm…_ Prince seemed pretty hard-core these days; should she worry about Goten's safety? No surely not; she knew for a fact that Trunks had survived, and she was quickly realizing that the small boy was ten times the hellion that her little uncle was. Besides, teen Gohan didn't look concerned.

He didn't even look concerned when the whirling tornado of half-Saiyan hit him head-on.

"GOHAN!" Trunks yelled louder than Pan could have imagined possible and leaped into the older Saiyan's arms while Goten laughed and wrapped himself around his brother's legs. Amazingly, the guy didn't topple right over, didn't even wobble as he laughed with them.

"Hey Trunks! How are you, buddy?" he looked at the four-year old in his arms fondly.

_Damn. _What Pan wouldn't give for a camera right now…Trunks and Goten would be mortified to witness this moment as grown men. She wondered what her father would think, and felt a pang of guilt and surprise as she realized that she hadn't thought of her papa once that morning. But she was quickly distracted as the world's richest woman entered the kitchen behind her son.

"Hi, there! It's Pan, right? I didn't formally introduce myself yesterday; I'm Bulma!" she smiled brightly as she addressed the girl. Pan smiled back.

"I know," she said simply.

Bulma's eyebrows rose. "Oh, of course. Wow, that's so strange; but I guess we should be fairly used to this by now," she glanced at her son then and looked back at Pan with a strangely expectant expression. Pan wondered if this was some sort of test—well _duh_, she knew about Trunks traveling to the past to warn them of the androids.

"Maybe it's something you never get used to," she laughed. Pan suddenly pictured three different little Trunks figures running around in her head and hastily shook it to remove the image.

"So," Bulma was continuing with a slight smirk, "—what can you tell me about the future?"

Pan bit her lip in consternation, not looking forward to having to disappoint the slightly intimidating woman. This Bulma wasn't really different from the one she knew, but still….

"Sorry, Bulma, she can't tell us anything—it could mess with the future, you know?" the girl thanked goodness for Gohan then, who had somehow managed to speak with shouting toddlers climbing all over his head, arms raised in an attempt to support them. The boys appeared to now be fighting each other to get to stand on top of his head. Pan gritted her teeth to keep from laughing.

_Darn it! I'm buying a camera._

Bulma crossed her arms and practically pouted. "Oh, come on now, that's no fun!" she protested. Pan just shrugged in response, an apologetic smile on her face. The woman 'hmphed', seeming to let it go for now as Chi Chi joined them.

"Alright, I'm ready—_BOYS_, get off of Gohan! You aren't heathens, for goodness sake!" Pan's grandma was quickly shouting. Surprisingly, the toddlers actually listened, allowing Gohan to set them on the ground, although their little faces looked massively disappointed; neither had been crowned king of Mount Gohan. Pan had to hide a smile once more.

"Hey, don't worry guys; you get to go play at Capsule Corp.!" the teen was assuring the younger boys.

"I want to stay with _you_, Gohan!" Trunks was protesting, sounding weirdly like a spoiled little prince, Pan couldn't help but think.

Gohan smiled. "I'll play with you two another time, okay?" Trunks didn't really look happy, but he nodded anyway, turning to face his mother—probably to ask when he could play with Gohan. But he stopped with a surprised look on his face when he finally noticed Pan standing there.

She smiled at him awkwardly in the strange silence.

"A _girl_!" Suddenly Trunks was smirking, a strange sight on a four-year old. "She's pretty." Pan's lips twisted in slight annoyance, until he started talking again. "Do you want to be my woman?" Now her jaw dropped.

"_Trunks_!" Gohan was reprimanding him sternly before anyone else could respond. "That was rude! Besides, you're way too young to be thinking about…that!"

The little boy turned and regarded his lecturer thoughtfully, not looking abashed in the least as his mother held her head in embarrassment and Chi Chi looked on in shock.

"Oh, is she your woman, Gohan?"

This time it was Gohan's jaw that dropped, his face immediately red, although so was Pan's.

"What's a woman? Can I have one, too?" Goten chirped quickly.

As Trunks turned to his friend—presumably to explain what a "woman" was—Gohan recovered his voice, rounding on his little brother.

"No!"

"Aww, no fair! I want a woman!" Goten was protesting loudly. "Does it taste good!? I _want_ one!" Pan flinched a little, although this was incredibly entertaining.

"Okay, time to go!" Chi Chi quickly snatched her young son and hurried out the door. Bulma grabbed the back of Trunks' collar, tugging him out as well, darkly muttering something about 'beating his royal pain in the ass' as she went.

Pan followed them out quickly, avoiding Gohan's gaze, although he trailed behind her. She distracted herself by watching a kicking and screaming Goten's mini-tantrum all the way outside—"I want a woman, I want a woman!"

_Never mind; I need a video camera for this zoo…._

Gohan was suddenly jogging past her. Reaching him in front of the copter, he squatted down to eye-level with his brother. "Hey, Goten, how about we do some flying on Nimbus when you get back?" he suggested gently as he hugged the boy to him. Goten stopped screaming immediately to grin broadly and nod, his eyes full of excitement.

_That was quick_, Pan was shocked that something had distracted the boy from "food".

Trunks escaped his mother's grasp then, running over to the Son brothers with what looked like slight jealousy on his face.

"What about _me_, Gohan?" he cried as he shoved his friend over to fit into the teen's arms as well.

Gohan looked amused, but hid his smile quickly to give the slightly older little boy a firm look. Still approaching the rest of the group, Pan stopped in her tracks as she immediately recognized it; her father didn't really ever look at _her_ like that, but it was an expression she'd seen on his face a million times with Trunks or Goten, the adults, usually when he was annoyed with them.

_Freaky._

The teen glanced up at Bulma before responding. "Sure, bro, just as long as you're both extra good for your grandma today. Think you can handle that?"

Trunks and Goten both nodded enthusiastically.

Bulma shook her head in amazement. "I suppose only a Saiyan can really handle other Saiyans," she mused as she approached them. "Or maybe it's just a male thing…. Ready, boys?"

They responded with a happy, "Yeah!" simultaneously, hugging Gohan before turning to Pan to wave, Trunks with a devilish smirk, Goten looking like he had just remembered her. Suddenly the one that looked so much like her grandpa as she had seen him last was rushing at her. Pan was shocked when she actually landed right on her bottom, Goten hugging her tightly around the neck.

"I'll be back—then we can ride Nimbus together!" he was declaring. "You'll love Nimbus, Pan!" she could only laugh and nod, and he quickly took off.

"Don't forget!" Chi Chi was yelling to Gohan over the engine as the group climbed into the vehicle, "Get that room cleaned out, son, no excuses! You hear me?"

Gohan nodded before shouting a reminder to the boys to behave as they waved wildly at the two teens on the ground below them. He turned to Pan as Bulma's speedy driving had them out of sight within seconds. He appeared to be at a loss of words for a moment. The sudden stillness seemed to ring in Pan's ears after what she'd just experienced.

She finally broke the silence herself. "That first step's a doozie, huh?" she referenced the encounter with the toddlers. She wasn't exaggerating either; the last five minutes had felt like a complete whirlwind. Gohan rubbed the back of his neck and laughed out loud. "Thanks for the warning," Pan added, pretending to be annoyed even though she was laughing too.

"Yeah…sorry," he grinned, looking anything but apologetic.

Pan was finding this Gohan to be less and less like the one she knew back home, though none of it was bad. Just…unexpectedly different, and it made it even harder to connect the two in her head, small moments like the one a few minutes ago notwithstanding. In response to his comment, Pan just rolled her eyes and turned quickly away to head back into the house. It was a little disconcerting how extremely cute he was sometimes.

* * *

_A/N: No visits to the 'present' this time, but we'll be doing that next chapter! A million thank you's to all readers and especially reviewers! I'm trying to get chapters out pretty fast, but my break will be over in about a week, and after that I have no idea how often I'll be updating. I'll get at least one more chapter in before then, maybe two. About the fight scene…well, not my forte, but I can't really accept a DBZ fic without some fighting, so I have to have it. Also, I've just realized that it seems like a lot of my story takes place during meals. lol, maybe I have a food thing. __ Thanks for reading, and tell me what you think! _


	6. This Thing That's Burning in Me

_A/N: Sorry this chapter is getting out so much later than I said it would! I know it might be weird, but I really felt the need to give this one a name. Maybe it's wrong to title only one chapter out of six, but I couldn't help it! Here is Chapter 6...enjoy._

* * *

After Chi Chi, Bulma, and the boys had disappeared in the sky, Pan and Gohan immediately got started cleaning the storage room. It was filled with piled cardboard boxes of varying contents, a few pieces of old furniture, and a plethora of school supplies. An hour later, they'd only managed to clear out a third of it since they had to look through each box and decide if the contents were something to be kept, donated, or thrown out. Chi Chi had told Gohan what she wanted done with most of the things earlier. Ironically, she still wanted to keep most of it, so they were transferring several things to the storage shed outside. Pan wondered why these things hadn't gone there in the first place, but didn't comment, although she was beginning to feel a little frustrated that they were being forced to go through every single item.

They'd hardly spoken the entire time, though it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Pan was mostly worrying about the kind of clothing that her grandmother and Bulma would buy her…the women's shopping styles were vastly different from each other's, not to mention vastly different from her own. She preferred comfort. At least her wardrobe would be interesting, she supposed.

As Pan opened yet another of the stacked boxes, she saw that this one was full of clothes. She started to close it back up and put it in their 'donate' pile in the living room when something occurred to her. She pulled out the top article of clothing, unfolding a black tee shirt. It looked like it would fit her perfectly. Pan checked a few of the other clothes, several shirts and pairs of gi bottoms, all appearing to be the same size. She looked over at Gohan, who was just walking back in from carrying a box into the living room. These obviously had to be his old clothes. He saw her eyeing him and smiled broadly.

"Having fun?"

She grimaced. "Loads. Hey, so I just found this box of clothes—are they yours?"

Gohan walked to Pan and peered over her shoulder, pushing his hair from his forehead. "Yep, they were, when I was about twelve. Too small now."

Pan turned slightly to face him. "Do you think I could have them? If you don't wear them anymore?" she was feeling pretty excited; this could be her only shot at some halfway normal clothes, or at least clothes she would be comfortable in.

Gohan laughed. "You think they'll fit you? Sure, it doesn't matter to me. Of course, you know what my mom will say about them not being 'lady' clothes…" he finished with what Pan would almost describe as a devilish look on his face.

She narrowed her eyes at him in response, but was too happy to really be annoyed at his jab. "Thanks, this is a lifesaver—I was feeling pretty terrified about what grandma and Bulma are getting for me to wear."

"Oh, so that's what you looked so worried about," Gohan laughed again as he pulled another box down and began to sort through it. "Can't say I blame you! Here's another one. These are the same size, I think." He handed her this box, which she found to be full of his old clothes also. She _really _hoped they'd fit.

Pan peered up at the boy cautiously. She wondered if he'd be annoyed….

"What is it?" Gohan didn't look up, but he seemed to be smiling lightly as he sifted through his new box.

"I was just wondering…would you mind if I go try some of it on? Just so I know it fits? It would only take a second," she smiled as sweetly as she could. She was worried that he'd be annoyed at her for trying to leave him with all the work, but she really just wanted to know if she had a possible wardrobe…patience was never a word anyone would use to describe her.

Gohan looked up, appearing amused as he shook his head. "I don't care! You don't have to ask my permission."

"I'm not asking for your _permission_," Pan immediately clarified as she stood, "I was just being polite; I don't ask for any guy's permission." Gohan raised a brow as he looked up at her and she could tell he was trying to hide a smile.

"Okay," was all he said, although Pan was pretty sure he was thinking something else.

But she didn't waste another second, rushing straight across the hall into her—his—bedroom. As she pulled the black tee shirt over her head, she was relieved to find that it was almost a perfect fit, just like any of her plain shirts back home. She quickly folded the larger shirt she had been wearing and laid it on the bed; No reason to continue wearing it, although she knew she should probably _wash_ the clothes that had been stored for three years before wearing them…fortunately, that type of thing didn't really bother her. Besides, her grandmother was a miracle worker of some type—the clothes didn't smell musty in the least. Pan quickly headed back to the other room to help Gohan.

He looked up as she entered, taking in her new shirt before meeting her eyes with a grin. "Wow, they do fit; you're the same size I was when I was twelve." He didn't say it with any malice, but she was almost certain he was trying to taunt her. She just smiled, deciding not to take the bait before setting about collecting the school supplies to organize them while she marveled inwardly at her adolescent father's unexpected personality.

Three hours after Pan had changed, the two teens were feeling pretty satisfied with themselves. They had managed to clean out the entire room and reorganize the shed; Chi Chi would be pleased.

After stretching to relieve her back from the hours of bending, Pan grabbed a box of her "new" clothes and made her way into the now-empty bedroom, dropping it in the corner by the window. She turned to get the second one, but came to a startled stop when she found the half-Saiyan standing in the doorway wearing a slightly puzzled expression.

"What are you doing?" Gohan asked before she could speak.

"Uh…just moving my stuff in, if that's o…_okay_ with you?" she had meant it as a statement, but the look on his face had somehow morphed it into a question. The boy looked weirdly disapproving.

"No, that's not okay with me! Don't be ridiculous, I'll be staying in this room, not you," he reminded Pan of his mother right then. She couldn't recall ever seeing her grandmother in her dad before and the thought almost made her laugh out loud. She argued instead.

"Why in the world would you do that? You already have a room."

"Pan—this room doesn't even have a bed! You're not sleeping on the floor, you're a guest. It's no big deal to me; I've done it plenty of times. I'll stay in here, not you," his attitude was annoyingly domineering.

Pan crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, not loving the tone he was using. What right did he have to just make decisions for her? Gohan raised a brow in response. She wasn't sure if he was daring her to challenge him, or was simply surprised that she was going to.

The girl smirked. "Well, it's a good thing we just established that I don't _need_ your permission to do what I want," she shot back, feeling a bit smug that she was able to throw that back in his face.

Gohan didn't look amused at all, though, giving her an exasperated frown. "_Pan_." That long-suffering and slightly patronizing tone was really starting to annoy her, so she cut him off before he could continue.

"I don't know what the problem is—I can sleep on the floor just as easily as you!"

"But you're a g—" he bit his lip without finishing. Pan gritted her teeth, ready to jump his ass both physically and verbally if he finished that sentence. "A _guest_! You're a guest; you get the bed, end of story," he shrugged and grinned at her before turning to quickly walk out of the room.

"Nice save!" Pan yelled as he walked away looking something close to smug. She followed quickly.

_Oh, we are _so _far from finished here. _Here was that ridiculous gender thing again; she'd be damned if she let him get away with it.

She reached him in the living room, her arms crossed defiantly.

"I like that room—you can't have it! _End of story_."

He laughed as he flung himself down to sit on the couch and glanced back at her. "Okay, we'll move the bed in there, then."

Pan let out a huff of frustration and turned to stalk away.

_Stupid, control freak male! _The girl went into the empty room and slammed the door, fuming at his cockiness.

_Wait—I can't just give in! _She quickly yanked the door open again and strode back to the living room, head held high.

Gohan didn't appear to have moved at all, and though he seemed to be surprised to see her again so soon, he was watching her approach looking highly entertained. Pan fully intended to wipe that silly grin off of his face. She stopped two feet away, hands on her hips, and glowered menacingly, expecting this to sober him up as it had every other time. Pan knew how he hated it when people were unhappy with him.

Instead he threw himself back on the couch and burst into laughter. Okay, maybe she only _thought_ she was menacing. Sighing, the girl worked to hide her smile, suddenly finding it harder to be annoyed—although astonishment was becoming the norm. Maybe she only _thought_ she knew him.

"You're impossible!" she yelled over his laughter, but she couldn't conceal her grin. What was it about him? He looked up at her as his laughter quieted, seeming to suddenly study her more closely.

Pan rolled her eyes and shoved the boy's feet off the sofa, flopping down next to him. She stared ahead for a minute, not saying anything, although she could feel his eyes still on her as she tapped her foot vigorously on the floor, contemplating her next move.

Finally she faced him, ready to continue her argument. But his expression made Pan pause; he was giving her what she could only describe as an affectionate gaze. Recovering from the slight shock of this quickly, she decided to try a different tactic.

Giving him a sweet smile, Pan turned her body fully toward the boy and folded her legs together between them, tilting her head slightly to the side. She calmly resumed making her case in what she hoped was a more persuasive voice.

"You really aren't going to let me sleep on the floor? That's really sweet of you, but I'd feel awful kicking you out of your own bed." Gohan just smiled lightly. To keep her irritation from rising again at his lack of response, Pan took a deep breath. "Okay. What if we take turns? We each get the bed every other night." She smiled again expectantly. "_Please_?" she touched his arm for added effect, widening her eyes slightly and willing her normally tomboyish-self to appear at least somewhat charming.

Gohan's smile faltered slightly, brows rising as he looked down at her. He looked like he was about to be taken in—when he suddenly faced forward, looking speculative. "Hmmm…."

Abruptly he jumped to his feet and spun to face Pan, grabbing her hand to pull her up as well. "Are you hungry? I'm starved, come on." Before Pan could react to this unexpected change of topic, she was being towed straight into the kitchen.

Well, this was frustrating. Her father had always had trouble saying no to her…but the teenager-Gohan seemed to have no such difficulty. Still, she wasn't giving in that easily. This kid didn't actually have any right to tell her no. She wasn't even sure, exactly, why she felt so strongly about pushing the matter—it's not like it was truly significant. There just seemed to be something about him that made her want to argue.

In any case, Pan decided to address the issue later; she was hungry, in fact.

As the two reached the kitchen, Gohan released Pan to open the fridge. She watched as he looked around inside for a moment before straightening and closing the door again. Pan furrowed her brow in confusion as he turned back to her empty-handed.

"Ahhhh…" he smiled sheepishly and linked his hands behind his head.

_Oh, brother._

Pan raised her eyebrows. "What's wrong?" she asked innocently.

"Well, I can't really cook…." The Saiyan male's stomach grumbled as he spoke, and he looked hopefully up at Pan through his lashes, obviously trying to be the charming one now. She couldn't deny—in her head—that it was cute, but there was no way she was going to fall for it.

"Surely you can make yourself a sandwich or something; I know you're perfectly capable," normally she probably would've just done it, but Pan at least had to give him a hard time after the way he'd just strong-armed her.

"Yeah but," he looked at his feet, "you're a really good cook."

Pan couldn't help but snort. "Tough, I'm not making anything for you." She walked past him to get into the refrigerator herself, pulling out the things she needed to make sandwiches. Gohan watched as she sat at the small table and completed the process. She managed to avoid his gaze for the most part, but did glance up once to see his face. It was remarkably pouty.

Ten minutes later, Pan had whipped forty sandwiches together. It occurred to her as she quickly cleaned up that there was now one extra Saiyan in this household, which was pretty rough on the wallet just in food alone. _Damn. No matter what I do, I'm going to be a lot of trouble to keep around._

Having no solution, Pan pushed the thought from her mind and sat back down, finally looking up at her surprisingly silent companion. Gohan gave her a lazy smile from where he had eventually taken a seat across from her at the table, head leaning on his palm as it had at breakfast. He appeared to be having trouble keeping his eyes open again, too.

Pan narrowed hers thoughtfully.

She quickly pushed half of the several plates of food across the table to him, to which he responded with a wholehearted grin and a 'thank you'. Pan rolled her eyes; she never was going to just let him sit there and watch her eat. But she was pretty sure he had known that.

"So, G," she began casually as he started to dig in, "are you exhausted because you were up all night _watching me sleep_?"

Pan was pleased to see her question have the desired effect; he froze with his second sandwich halfway to his wide open mouth, the fair skin of his cheeks already turning pink. She smiled at him innocently as his dark eyes, so like hers, widened comically. He was so humiliated that he didn't even react to her calling him by something other than his name.

"Uhhhhh…"

_Poor guy._ Even feeling sorry for him, Pan gave him no mercy as she continued to stare expectantly.

"Well…yes. But I swear I wasn't trying to be…creepy! I really couldn't sleep with Goten, so I just went into my room to…I was trying to decide whether or not I should train you…I knew it would be weird to actually _sleep_ in there, so I just tried to stay quiet…I'm sorry…" Gohan had stumbled through all of this quickly, and was now staring at the table in front of him, bouncing his left leg nervously. Finally Pan laughed, and then laughed again when he whipped his head up and looked at her like she was crazy.

"It is a little weird, but I'm not _too_ freaked out. How about you just…warn me the next time you're going to stare at me all night?" she grinned and took a bite out of her sandwich.

The relief on the guy's face as he nodded sheepishly was almost as entertaining as his mortification had been, but Pan managed not to laugh as she shook her head and gave him a pitying look.

* * *

Son Gohan had just finished his sandwiches when he suddenly felt a familiar presence. His mentor was approaching. Looking at Pan, who was placing her plates in the sink, he opened his mouth to tell her this but stopped when she snapped her head around to look in the direction Piccolo was coming from. Obviously she had already sensed his presence as well. Gohan was surprised when she met his gaze, and he had to suppress a laugh; not many people's eyes filled with excitement at the thought of Piccolo, but Pan's certainly were.

Before the two even had a chance to discuss it, they heard the front door open—and straight in walked the giant green man, the one Gohan considered a second father. He had his typical serious expression on his face, and wore his typical outfit. The half Saiyan always found it somewhat surreal to see Piccolo inside of his house; the fact was he had seen Piccolo _inside_ almost no places at all. It felt like a strange collision of the two worlds he lived in—the one where he was a warrior, and the one where he was just a kid, a student, a son and brother.

"Gohan," Piccolo saw his young protégé first as he stepped through the doorway and into the kitchen, "how is everything?"

Piccolo often came to check in on him, but preferred to wait until Chi Chi wasn't home—Gohan should have been expecting him to stop by, but he supposed having his future child around was quite a distraction. Smiling uncertainly, the adolescent glanced from Piccolo to Pan a few feet away.

The glance wasn't lost on Piccolo, perceptive as always, and he whipped his head around quickly to face the girl. Other than furrowing his brow slightly, he didn't have much of a reaction to her presence. Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked much more interested, and confused.

"Who are you?" his voice was uncharacteristically bewildered. Before Pan could respond, he looked back over at the teen boy. "Gohan, who is this? She feels…" he looked at Pan once more, his face appearing more and more uncertain. "She feels like _you_."

While it was interesting that Piccolo had so quickly sensed that Pan was similar to him when no one else had, Gohan sighed inwardly. He was getting fairly tired of the introductions, the shock, the worry…and apparently Pan felt the same way, because she abruptly took a step closer and began to answer Piccolo's question herself.

"I'm his daughter from the future, Pan." She jerked her head in Gohan's direction as she spoke, indicating him. Piccolo's expression was already changing to one of alarm at that dreaded phrase, 'from the future.' Pan continued quickly, "I don't know how I came to be here, some freak accident I guess, but here I am. No warnings for you or anything, no imminent danger, no enemies to vanquish." Finished, Pan smiled broadly.

Immediately regaining his cool—just as Gohan had expected him to—Piccolo folded his arms over his chest and regarded the young girl in front of him with his more natural expression of indifference. Pan bit her lip as he considered her. Gohan wondered what was going on in her head; she looked like she was about to burst from excitement. A single, though bizarre, explanation occurred to him suddenly.

_Could she be as close to Piccolo as I am? _He pondered this in the silence that filled the room. He could hardly fathom Piccolo having any fondness for a girl. _Then again, she is _my _daughter. And if there was ever going to be a girl he cared about, it would definitely be my daughter._ Gohan could accept this logic, once he had thought it through, but it still didn't explain why Pan was acting quite so excited to see him. After all, she hadn't acted enthusiastic about seeing any of the rest of them. Could she possibly be closer to Piccolo than she was to anyone else?

While Gohan contemplated, Piccolo seemed to be catching on to the look in Pan's eyes and was starting to seem—Gohan could hardly believe it—uncomfortable. Clearing his throat, Piccolo looked at Gohan once again. Meeting his questioning gaze, the teen offered his mentor a half-shrug and a small laugh.

"Yeah, we were all pretty shocked when she showed up!"

Piccolo raised an eyebrow and grunted. Abruptly he turned and walked back toward the door he had just entered, addressing Gohan in his gruff voice as he went even though he wasn't looking at him.

"Well, she feels like you, but she's incredibly weak."

_Ah man, come on!_

Stomach dropping in dread of where this would end up, Gohan rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled uncomfortably, eyeing Pan to see her reaction. Her jaw dropped as she watched Piccolo walk away. But instead of looking angry as he had expected her to, she just looked hurt.

Unfortunately, Piccolo was still talking. "—practically defenseless, which there is no excuse for; she has plenty of potential." He reached the doorway and paused, turning slightly toward Gohan. "Fix it."

With that, the Namekian left. Pan and Gohan stood gaping in silence for a moment after they heard the front door close and felt Piccolo's energy vanish.

The boy was surprised by his mentor's order—and it had no doubt been an order—to train Pan. But suddenly he felt some relief; if Piccolo wanted him to do it, then surely training her was the right choice.

Pan found her voice once more, although it was quiet and sounded almost...wistful. "Well, that was…interesting." Her expression was a strange mixture of disappointment and delight.

Gohan could only chuckle in response.

* * *

Getting ready for bed later that evening, Gohan realized that he was still smiling. Soon after Piccolo's departure, his mother, brother, Trunks, and Bulma had returned from their shopping trip. As expected, Chi Chi was happy with the job he and Pan had done cleaning out the extra bedroom, and also as expected, the two women had hauled in a vast amount of strangely assorted clothing.

The wardrobe was an odd mix of each woman's style, and Gohan had had to fight to keep the grin off his face as Pan went through some of it. But she managed to be remarkably pleasant about it to Bulma and Chi Chi, thanking them graciously. Gohan was almost certain that her response wouldn't have been so relaxed if she didn't have his old clothes hanging safely in the closet of the empty room.

Speaking of the empty room, Gohan was headed there with his pallet-making materials, ready to set up for the night. He had said goodnight to Goten—as Chi Chi had put the toddler to bed—about a half hour earlier and then hopped in the shower, after which he had spent a few minutes helping his mother clean up from dinner. Earlier, he and Pan had kept their promise to the two little boys, flying on Nimbus with them after they returned. The teens had even started racing each other through the air, a toddler on each of their backs. Trunks and Goten had loved every minute of it.

And truly, he couldn't deny that it was probably the most fun he'd had in his life. It occurred to him how sad that probably was, but he could only feel happy. Gohan was starting to realize that it felt great to have someone his own age around, something he had never thought much about. He was fairly certain Pan had enjoyed it too—or at least she had laughed a lot. Bulma had made the remark that the two teens were barely distinguishable from the two toddlers, the way they were laughing and playfully wrestling with each other and the little ones. As he had been after hugging Pan the other day, Gohan was again surprised by just how normal it felt to be physically close to her.

Reaching the door, Gohan's thoughts were broken when he opened it to find the newest member of his family sitting cross-legged on a blanket in the middle of the floor. He heaved a sigh of aggravation as Pan smiled up at him pleasantly. Her slightly messy, medium-length hair was damp, shiny and black as oil. She also had fresh clothes on, so she must have cleaned up while he was helping his mom. In fact, he noted as the door fell closed behind him, she was wearing his favorite shirt—the red one that said 'Gohan' in white block letters—so she must have been in his dresser. Since she now had a vast amount of her own clothing to wear, he wasn't sure why she had his shirt on. At the moment, he ignored this in favor of the larger issue.

"What are you doing in here?" It was almost the same question he'd asked her earlier. Honestly he had hoped that this argument was over, but apparently that wasn't the case.

"I'm going to bed," Pan answered loftily. "What are _you_ doing in my room?" she cocked her head to the side and eyed Gohan in mock confusion.

Smiling, he chose not to even respond to her, instead walking in and throwing the makings of his bed onto the floor beside hers.

"Hey!" she cried in surprise as Gohan kneeled down and began to spread a blanket. He ignored her still, not meeting her eyes again until he had finished assembling his little place to sleep. Finally looking up to meet Pan's stare, he almost laughed at her annoyed expression but succeeded in biting it off.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I told you, I'm sleeping in here," he gave her a challenging grin and sat back on his pallet with his knees up, resting his arms on them casually.

Pan rolled her eyes before responding, just as he had known she would. "Fine, I don't care if you sleep in here…but I'm not leaving."

Gohan cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her. He wondered why exactly she was putting up such a fight about this. His "daughter" was apparently a very stubborn girl. He sighed again before responding in a contemplative voice.

"Well…until you fall asleep at least…"

He smirked a bit as the realization of what he was saying dawned on Pan and her eyes widened indignantly. As she scowled and leaned up on her knees, he noted that she still didn't quite reach his eye level even though he was sitting. Raising his brows in amusement, he knew Pan recognized this as well—and that it aggravated her greatly. The girl seemed to have a complex about her small stature. Clenching her teeth, she let out a little scream of obvious frustration and roughly shoved him. Gohan fell onto his back laughing.

Looking up at Pan from the floor, he watched her glare down at him. Finally she spoke in a low, threatening tone.

"You wouldn't dare move me while I'm sleeping."

Gohan widened his eyes, playing surprised. "I wouldn't?" He folded him arms behind his head, getting comfortable. "That's funny, I really think I would."

Pan suddenly stood up and headed for the door, and for a second Gohan thought he had actually won. Instead of feeling relieved she'd given up, he was a little disappointed that the game was over…and worried that she was truly upset with him. But rather than open the door, she only flipped the switch to turn out the light, plunging them both into blackness. He couldn't help but be a little bit pleased.

Gohan's eyes adjusted to the darkness immediately, although he could tell that Pan's did not. He watched her shuffle slowly back toward him, arms outstretched to avoid colliding with anything, though the room was essentially vacant. Finally she reached the blanket and dropped to her knees and began crawling; unfortunately, she had crawled onto Gohan's instead of her own and was soon clambering right on top of him. He laughed quietly as she paused with a hand and a knee on his chest, but he simply grabbed her waist and rolled over to relocate her to her own place without commenting. He settled his head on his pillow and pulled his blanket up as Pan did the same, surprised that she wasn't saying anything about the incident. But he could see her slightly embarrassed and fully irritated expression.

The teen grinned at her in the darkness, knowing from the way she narrowed her eyes in his direction that she could now see.

"Goodnight," Pan bit out sharply.

Gohan chuckled and couldn't resist using a slightly sing-song voice as he responded.

"Goodni-ight."

* * *

_In the "present"_

As soon as Goten walked in the door, Gohan could tell he'd been drinking. He eyed him with concern, realizing that he hadn't been paying much attention to him lately. Ever since he had begun training with Vegeta a few days ago, the rest of his life had been pushed to the sidelines, including work. He had taken an indefinite leave of absence, much to the disappointment of his co-workers and students. Getting his daughter home safely was his top priority, and he'd give it no less than one hundred percent of his time.

Still, he had decided to be home to spend time with his wife tonight. He felt awful about neglecting her. When he had voiced his apologies, Videl had cut him a severe look and told him that what she wanted more than anything was her daughter—and she could never be angry at him for focusing on trying to get her back. Even so, he knew that bringing Pan home to a broken family would be no good, and he needed to be here for his wife—this was difficult for her, despite the strong face she kept on, and she needed his comfort. He was currently waiting on her to get home from work.

Goten kept his eyes straight ahead as his only sibling stood, avoiding his gaze completely to walk into the kitchen. So Gohan just followed him.

Turning sharply to glare, Goten snapped at him in a venomous voice.

"Do you need something, Gohan?"

The taller Saiyan raised a brow as his brother stared him down with red-rimmed eyes, working to not get angry. He knew Goten was just upset.

"Goten, we need to talk. You shouldn't be drinking so much—"

Goten rolled his eyes and scowled as he turned to continue walking. "Here we go…."

Slightly shocked that his brother had just turned his back on him, Gohan couldn't keep some of the anger from his voice as he continued to follow Goten.

"What's your problem, little brother?"

Reaching the kitchen, Goten slammed his hand on the counter before facing Gohan again, now looking furious.

"What do you _think_? My little niece has been kidnapped for fuck's sake!" he yelled.

Gohan felt his hands shaking suddenly. Looking down, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he stared at them before ignoring it to glare at his brother.

"Yeah I'm aware of that Goten—that's _my daughter_!"

Goten laughed, sounding more angry than amused. "Really? Because it doesn't seem to me like you understand what this sicko could be doing to Pan right now! What do you think people steal teenage girls for!?" he was yelling at the top of his voice as he finished and tears filled his eyes. Turning away again, he gasped and began gagging.

For a moment, Gohan stood in shock as those awful words rang in his ears. Goten was running to the sink, barely making it before he started throwing up every content of his stomach. Feeling numb, Gohan watched. After a few seconds, Goten's stomach was empty and he continued dry heaving. Gohan only looked on as his brother gasped for air and turned the faucet on, splashing his face with water.

Suddenly Goten tensed. Turning slowly to face his older brother, Gohan was surprised by the look of undisguised fear in his dark eyes as shadows danced across his face.

"Gohan…" Goten's voice was low and cautious, as though he was trying to soothe his brother. Distantly, Gohan realized how strange that was, since Goten was the one that obviously needed consolation. He knew that he needed to go to him, but was unable to move. Suddenly the man felt a sharp crack beneath his feet.

The loud sound of shattering rock snapped Gohan from his trance. Looking down, he was shocked to see a long fracture in his stone kitchen floor. As he glanced back up at the still staring Goten in confusion, he noted the look of surprise that was mixed with a remnant of fright. Shadows no longer leaped on Goten's face. With a pang of guilt, Gohan realized what must have happened.

"Did I…"

Goten cut him off before he could ask.

"You went Super Saiyan. Two." His voice was flat and his expression guarded.

Gohan stared, knowing that he was the one that looked alarmed now.

He immediately attempted to reassure his brother, "Goten, I'm so sorry. I would never hurt you; it's not because I was angry with you, I wasn't even thinking about attacking."Goten looked uncertain, his expression still guarded as Gohan continued with clenched fists. "I just hate to consider that…possibility…that's why I got mad," he ground out the last part with some difficulty. At that, Goten furrowed his brow and nodded, looking close to tears again.

Knowing that he was forgiven, Gohan was in front of him in seconds, pulling his little brother into his arms roughly and holding him as tightly as when Goten was a little boy. And just as he had as a child, Goten leaned in gratefully.

The Saiyan hated for his brother to be in any kind of pain, and he hated it more when he couldn't fix it. Goten had looked up to him his entire life; even after their father had returned, everyone knew it was Gohan that the little boy idolized most. Goku loved his children, undoubtedly, but missing out on those first seven years was something that could never be undone; Goten viewed Gohan as his protector and role-model, just as Gohan had viewed their father, and no amount of spending time with Goku had changed that. In fact, Gohan had often wondered if his father resented him for this, but the man had never once acted hurt; not when Goten would go to his big brother instead of his dad for advice, for comfort, for affection, or anything else. Leaving to train Uub had only solidified Gohan's position as his little brother's "father". Ironic, considering it was actually his fault that Goten had been without a father to begin with…. An old, old pain that he hadn't felt in years shot through his heart, but Gohan ignored it, focusing on his brother.

"I promised I'd bring her home, and I will. Okay?" he said sternly, putting every bit of confidence that he possessed into his statement for Goten's sake.

"Yeah," Goten choked out as he nodded into Gohan's shoulder. He suddenly leaned back out of his brother's embrace and supported himself on the countertop. Hastily, he used a sleeve to dry his face as he stared at the floor, looking just a tiny bit embarrassed for breaking down like that. Gohan crossed his arms and eyed him sadly as he leaned back on the counter as well. After a moment, Goten took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Gohan, that was really shitty of me—"

Knowing where this was going, the oldest half-Saiyan interrupted him gently.

"It's okay, bro—"

"No, it's not," Goten cut his sibling off, looking angry with himself. "It wasn't okay at all." Gohan opened his mouth to reassure him once more, but Goten seemed determined to say what he had to say. "Pan is your daughter and I know how much you love her. I'm sorry for acting like I think you aren't as worried as I am; I know you are, probably more. And I'm sorry for…bringing that up…what I said…" he dropped his gaze as he trailed off.

"I'm not mad, Goten. Those thoughts _had _crossed my mind before…of what could be happening… I've just been avoiding thinking about it because," he paused to take a deep breath before finishing in a rush, "because then I get so angry and terrified that I can't focus." Gohan could feel his energy swirling as it rose within him just talking about this.

Goten nodded without looking up. "I know."

Silence filled the room as each man got lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly it was broken by a small snort from Goten, causing Gohan to look up in surprise. His smiling brother nodded toward the entrance. Gohan turned to look curiously, his eye immediately caught by the two-foot fissure in his kitchen floor. He groaned.

Goten laughed at Gohan's dismayed expression. "Good luck explaining that to your wife."

* * *

_In the "past"_

Pan was making a valiant effort, but Gohan knew she was about to be out cold. Her glare was becoming more and more of a half-conscious stare. Entertaining Trunks and Goten must have worn her out. He smiled lightly as he watched her lids drop a little more. Neither had changed position, each trying to be the one to stay awake longer. The half-Saiyan had been nearly certain he would take this battle; it usually took him hours to fall asleep anyway. Even though he hadn't slept at all the night before, tonight would be no different—especially when he had a reason to stay awake.

The girl's lids closed completely. Gohan waited for them to reopen, but this time they remained shut and Pan's breathing was deep and slow. Deciding he'd wait a few minutes to move her, Gohan let his own eyes drift shut as well, contemplating her.

Son Pan was an interesting study; she seemed to have this strong desire to be treated as an adult, and appeared to hate being dependent on anyone. Knowing he was her father, Gohan couldn't help but wonder if she was this way with "him" in the future, as her parent. Was she rebellious? Was he destined to have this girl fight him at every turn for who-knows-how-many years? He supposed there were worse fates. But every time "he" came up in discussion, she seemed to get quite upset—and sometimes Gohan was sure that she was looking at him as though she was searching for something. So perhaps they were close. How odd it was to imagine his future counterpart, someone that had changed Pan's diapers for goodness' sake. What did he grow up to be like? What kind of father was he?

Was he like his father?

As this thought occurred to him, Gohan was surprised by his mental response: he hoped _not_. At first he wasn't sure why he had even thought that—he loved his dad more than just about anything. It didn't take him long to figure it out. He hoped that he was more affectionate, more concerned about his kid's safety, and most importantly, more _there_. Knowing exactly how it felt when your parent couldn't—or wouldn't—be there for you, how much it hurt…Gohan prayed that he would never do the same to his daughter. He hoped, strongly, that he had a good relationship with Pan in the future. And even beginning to see just how stubborn she could be, he knew that she absolutely deserved a loving family.

At that moment, Gohan suddenly realized that Pan was without both of her parents, essentially an orphan here. Even if it was in no way the fault of his future self, "he" was no longer _there_.

_Like dad._

Clenching his fists in frustration, Gohan fumed silently. He didn't even notice his arms beginning to tremble.

_It's like I've already broken a promise I never even made…_.

At this point in time, there was no evidence that anyone was even searching for Pan; was he? If so, he didn't seem to be trying hard enough. Gohan couldn't suppress the odd feeling of resentment he suddenly had for his older self. He knew that probably wasn't fair, but he couldn't shake it entirely. In any case, it appeared that it was up to him and him alone; without anyone presently there for Pan, the teen would have to step up and be the one to take care of her. It didn't matter that he was the same age as his "daughter"; because she _was_ his daughter, and she deserved a parent.

The Saiyan knew what he had to do. Though he had told Pan only the day before that he didn't want to be her father, Gohan was now determined to be just that.

As his resolve began to calm him, Gohan realized just how much he was shuddering, how labored his breathing was. Eyes snapping open to make sure he hadn't woken Pan, he quickly forced his body and mind to relax. The girl didn't appear to have been disturbed at all, he was relieved to see.

He took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. Another thought occurred to him as rolled onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling.

Gohan really was enjoying having…a _friend_, in Pan. Was it possible to be both her friend and her father? He decided that it was; he wasn't willing to give up either. Somehow, in the short space of only a few days, Pan had become as important to him as any other member of his family. He wasn't sure if this was natural or just weird.

Whatever it was, the boy was certain of it.

Gohan turned to look at Pan once more. As sweet and serene as she looked at that moment, he knew she would put up a huge fight if she knew he had come to this decision to "be her dad". He also knew that he needed to be sensitive to the fact that he was not, in fact, the father she knew. He hadn't raised her, hadn't been there for her for all of her fifteen years; he didn't imagine that he even looked a lot like the person she called daddy. So, he decided, he simply wouldn't tell her; what she didn't know couldn't hurt her. He shouldn't have to treat her any differently, so she'd never know the difference. It's not as if he intended to start bossing her around; just being there for her and keeping her safe was all he desired.

Realizing how late it was already, Gohan decided that he should go ahead and take Pan to his bed before he fell asleep himself. Scooping her up gently so that he wouldn't wake her, he carried her easily into his room. He was surprised by how light she was, even with her small frame. Laying her down carefully,this thought reminded him of Piccolo's earlier comment about how weak Pan was.

He knew it was true; though her strength was incredibly impressive by human standards, she was woefully insignificant in comparison to the Saiyans and Piccolo. Considering the fact that enemies seemed to come exclusively in 'stronger than us', the girl would stand no chance at defending herself. Suddenly all doubt about training Pan was wiped from Gohan's mind as he realized that he couldn't allow her to be so defenseless. It was true that he was the strongest person on the earth, maybe in the universe; but what if something happened and he was unable to be there?

Gohan frowned as he gazed down at the sleeping girl, moonlight streaming in the open window and illuminating her face. Turning away to head back to his place on the floor in the room across the hall, he hoped she would rest up well; tomorrow the training was going to start, and Gohan knew that as difficult as it would be for him, he would not be going easy on her.

* * *

Hitting the ground much harder than she expected to, Pan quickly rolled to all fours, attempting to catch her breath. Gohan's first blow had just knocked the wind right out of her; in fact, she was pretty positive that that had been the hardest hit she'd ever taken—certainly it was harder than her father had ever punched her.

She'd woken up in Gohan's bed that morning, irritated with herself that she was unable to even stay awake longer than him; but then he seemed to be better at just about everything. She had only just gotten dressed when he walked right in, almost making her pee her pants.

"Time to train!" he had announced with a broad smile. She had been starving a moment before, but quickly forgot about food at his words. Wondering how her grandmother would react, Pan was surprised when Gohan grabbed her arm and pulled her right out the window, just as she had done to him a couple days earlier.

In the clearing they'd landed in to train, Pan hardly noticed the perfect day surrounding her—the warm, gentle breeze, the crisp green grass swaying gently, the treetops and clear blue sky meeting to create the perfect backdrop—it was all lost in the focus she had for her opponent.

The spiky-haired teen had a look on his face that Pan had never seen before. He was dressed in a purple gi, like Piccolo's, and seemed to be much more comfortable in it than his regular clothes. Then again, everything about him looked more comfortable; as his dark eyes met hers from several yards away, Pan saw clearly that he was in his element—outside and fighting. The irony of this crossed her mind briefly; her father sparred so rarely in her time that it was easy to forget that he was ever a warrior—something about the combination of business dress and glasses, his gentle nature, and his apparent lack of interest in fighting at all. So it was strange to her to see his young self looking so much more content here. Perhaps more surprising, though, was his expression; complete focus. Since it had been so difficult just to convince the guy to train her, Pan wouldn't have expected him to take it quite so seriously.

_Apparently I was wrong_. She was sure of it when his next attack came—a swift punch to the jaw followed immediately by a kick to the opposite temple. His movements were so fast she would swear he must have learned Instant Transmission. Head throbbing and wondering if she had whiplash, Pan straightened as Gohan took two steps backward. She knew this was what she had asked for…but still.

"Jumping in with both feet, I see!" Pan couldn't help but be the tiniest bit annoyed.

The corners of her teacher's lips turned up slightly. "I don't believe in foreplay, remember?"

Pan rolled her eyes at herself for ever telling him that she'd had that thought at Bulma's the other day…and immediately regretted the miniscule action; Gohan had taken the opportunity to attack once more, viciously. As fists, feet, elbows, and probably every other part of anatomy rained down on her, the girl staggered back more and more. She was just barely holding her own, able to block next to none of the blows he threw. As she landed on the ground again, the other teen finally jumped back a few yards. Since she wasn't sure she'd even be able to stand upright at the moment, Pan looked up and shot him a sharp glare, chest heaving and sweat pouring down her entire body.

"Get up," Gohan's voice was as expressionless and calm as his face.

Pan bared her teeth and narrowed her eyes further, now getting angry. Was pummeling her really necessary? How did it teach her anything at all?

"I can't! I can barely sit upright—"

"_Get up!_"

She winced at his sharp tone, a little hurt that he would talk to her that way, and more than a little shocked. An idea occurred to her, one that quickly propelled her back to anger.

"What is this? Are you trying to convince me not to train with you? You think I'll run away scared when I figure out that I'm no match for you?" she was yelling by the last question. "Well don't get your hopes up; I already knew that!"

"_This_ is how you become stronger—isn't that what you wanted?" Pan sat back, stunned; he was actually yelling back.

After a brief pause, she clenched her jaw and nodded sharply. Gohan eyed her, his face harsh. So this was Son Gohan, the warrior. It was rather astonishing. Appearing to be trying to exercise great patience, he continued.

"You can take way more than this—you have to push your body past its limits, Pan."

_Does he really care so much if I get stronger?_ Pan just didn't get it. Scowling, she glanced at the ground before meeting his gaze again and mumbling a response.

"Geez, you're intense today."

His expression softened. He strode to her quickly and squatted down so that he was closer to her eye level, Pan eyeing him warily.

"I know you can handle this." Gohan smiled gently when she gave him a doubtful look.

"And how do you know that? You've known me for about four whole days," her tone was scornful.

He unexpectedly leaned in and grasped her upper arms. The sudden proximity caused her to inhale sharply as a small thrill shot through her. His eyes were so dark.

She shook her head to clear it of the weirdness.

"I know that because you're _my_ offspring; you had to get _some_ of my tremendous talent."

Strange moment forgotten already, she dropped her head back and laughed weakly at his playfully arrogant grin. Pan was beginning to discover that she really liked this side of him—he was fun. Gazing back at his now tender smile, she sighed heavily. He was speaking again before she could say anything.

"Do you trust me?"

Pan didn't even have to consider it; she did trust him, fully. "Of course." Seeming pleased by her answer, his smile widened. Abruptly he stood, pulling her up with him. She even managed to stay standing when he released her. As she met his black eyes, she felt her focus return and her resolve strengthen. She _was_ his offspring; fighting, protecting the earth—this was their family's legacy. And she was going to live up to it.

"Alright," he was putting a serious face on again, "out here I'm your teacher; you do exactly what I tell you to do without question."

Pan nodded hastily, noting the small look of surprise that he quickly covered up. He must have expected her to argue with that—normally she would have.

"And if you do that, then I promise I'll make you into a powerful fighter."

Pan smirked as she fell into a defensive stance. "As powerful as you, sensei?" she couldn't resist asking teasingly.

Gohan mirrored her expression as he backed up a few paces, laughing quietly. "I never said I was a miracle-worker, sweetheart."

Her smirk twisted into a scowl.

Without warning, she launched herself at him, immediately disappointed by his complete lack of surprise. His grin widened as he leaned back, easily dodging her punch.

"Good girl," he mumbled under his breath as he straightened. Pan didn't have time to react as he locked his hand around her still outstretched arm and used her momentum to pull her closer, bringing his fist forward to meet her stomach brutally. Pan coughed as sharp agony ripped through her abdomen, radiating all the way to her fingertips. Involuntarily, she leaned into her attacker, latching onto his neck instinctively to hold her body up. Looking up to meet his gaze, she gritted her teeth at his apologetic expression.

"Ready?" his voice was soft and oddly reassuring; Pan suspected that he did not enjoy this. She grimaced in response. He let her catch her breath for a moment longer before spinning away to disengage her grasp, coming full-circle with a powerful kick.

The beating commenced.

* * *

_In the "present"_

"How's it coming?"

Bulma jumped slightly at the sound of Gohan's voice. Trunks only glanced up at him from where he sat before returning to his work on the computer.

"Gohan, you scared me!" the woman exclaimed from her place next to her son.

"Sorry," he mumbled, but he wasn't really paying attention. The lack of response from his fellow half-alien was troubling. "Trunks." His tone commanded a response and he knew Trunks wouldn't ignore it.

Trunks finally looked up at Gohan apologetically. "Sorry. It's…not great, Gohan."

The man took a deep breath to keep from powering up unintentionally. In the week and a half since Pan had vanished into thin air, he had been finding it more and more difficult to control his temper, and the incident with Goten the night before hadn't helped. He quickly pushed the suffocating thoughts of what his daughter might be going through out of his mind; he didn't have time to break down.

"Okay," he finally spoke, Trunks eyeing him cautiously, "what's the problem?"

"We've pretty much got the time travel part figured out," Bulma answered this time as she typed away, staring intently at the giant computer screen, "but it's just like I worried…we have no idea where in time Pan _went_—"

"Where she was _taken_." Gohan immediately felt bad for the icy tone he had cut Bulma off with. But the fact that she didn't bite his head off for daring to speak to her that way told him just how bad the situation really was. Looking up, she pursed her lips and eyed him, blue eyes full of sympathy.

"Yes, we don't have the slightest idea where she was taken…and it really could be _anywhere_." She looked back at her computer screen with a frustrated expression. "It could be yesterday, tomorrow, four hundred years in the future, a thousand in the past, or any time in between—_and_ a new timeline was created immediately. If we knew where to start, we would stand a chance but—" Bulma was cut off again, this time when her oldest child touched her arm. She looked at Trunks inquisitively, but he was watching Gohan, looking even more apprehensive than he had earlier.

Clenching his jaw, Gohan tamped down on his power once again, fighting hard to control the rage that burned through his veins.

Abruptly he turned and left the lab without another word.

He took a ragged breath as he navigated quickly through the maze that was Capsule Corp, desperate to get outside. If he didn't know the place so well, he'd be lost in under a minute. Luckily, he'd been hanging around there since early childhood, so he knew the giant structure as well as his own home. The next turn would bring him to an exit…just a bit farther.

Picking up his pace as he turned the corner, Gohan finally reached the door and took off into the sky.

* * *

Instead of heading straight to the house, Gohan went somewhere he had been visiting frequently as of late: Piccolo's long-time hangout at the waterfall not too far from his home. Stopping in midair over the river to stare at the roaring, foamy cascade of water, Gohan took deep breaths of the cool night air to calm himself. After a few moments, he folded himself into Piccolo's usual meditative position and closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind.

The meditation worked to calm him after only a few minutes and the Saiyan opened his eyes to watch the waterfall once more, not really seeing it this time. He missed Piccolo so much it was a physical ache. Being here helped him to feel closer to his mentor. Gohan couldn't help but think that it hadn't really been fair: he had only had his second father-figure for a little over thirty years. It wasn't long enough—especially since he had always counted on the fact that Piccolo would forever be there in his father's place. He had taken it for granted. For the first time in many years, he had neither of them. And on top of that—by far worst of all—his daughter was missing.

Gohan sighed in frustration. Who could have done this? An old enemy perhaps? It usually seemed to be the past that came back to haunt them…but who would have the capability for time travel? He couldn't think of anyone. None of this mattered; he would find this being, whoever it was, and he would find Pan, no matter what or how long it took. But he still needed to get stronger…he had been training with Vegeta almost constantly, and his strength was indeed far greater than it had ever been. Already he provided a challenge for Vegeta in his Super Saiyan 4 form; attaining the level himself would bring out raw power that none of them had ever dreamed of, he knew. But that was the usual in their lives; the real trouble was controlling it. And the next step was to have his tail again. Vegeta intended to have Bulma regrow it using her Blutz Wave Generator the very next day. Then, he'd be able to reach Super Saiyan 4, and demolish the fool that was ignorant enough to mess with him.

For just a moment, he allowed his eyes to drift shut as he indulged himself in envisioning this…finding the bastard…making him pay…_slowly_. He felt his muscles tense in anticipation of that day. It would come, and when it did, he would relish it. The way he had tried to punish Cell as a boy would pale in comparison to the pain he would bring on the creature that dared to take his child from him, and he would savor every moment….

Suddenly Gohan inhaled sharply, eyes snapping open. What was he thinking? The way he had handled Cell had been completely wrong; attempting to punish him had only resulted in his father's death. He had learned that lesson already…he glanced down at his hands, noting the nearly imperceptible shaking…. It brought so many memories back….

Just like that, he was reliving his nightmarish adolescence. The guilt, the disgust, the longing…_the longing_.

Once he had remembered it, he felt it suddenly rising within in him like a black tidal wave of forgotten desire, infinitely more potent than any other desire he'd ever experienced. It didn't matter that the power his body was remembering was many times weaker than the power he now possessed; it was the memory of letting go completely and allowing his most primal urges to manifest that called to him. That urge nearly overcame him now, to abandon reason and logic and sympathy so that the massive power inside of him could be free. He fought against it, tried desperately to remember how to make it go away.

Fear.

Where was the fear?

Gohan ground his teeth and let out a strangled cry, the outside world drowned out completely. There was only his sanity and the monster, fighting each other for control. Still dangling in the air, he grasped his head in both hands as he shook it back and forth roughly, trying fiercely to control his thoughts and emotions. He felt himself powering up involuntarily, not sure if it was in response to the perceived threat, or if it was the desire taking root. Yelling out suddenly, he went Super Saiyan 2 in a split second without deciding to, hoping it was his body's way of fighting it out of him and not just the hated emotions taking command. But he had to feel fear to control it, he knew that; fear of what the longing would do, just like when he was a kid. He had to feel the fear of losing his loved ones due to his own actions, as he had his father. He attempted to picture his dad then, and imagine the pain of losing him.

It was a bad idea.

Suddenly—unexpectedly—Gohan felt anger; hot, vicious—_**delicious**_—flooding his veins, saturating his entire being at once; anger at his father for choosing, so many times, so _very _many times, to leave him alone. It wasn't his fault; he'd only been a child! Gohan could hear himself screaming wordlessly, the outpouring of years of hurt and inadequacy mixing with the pain of his internal battle to unleash a tormented wail. Goku _chose_ to stay gone or leave, every time. And each absence was like a knife buried into his heart, then cruelly twisted. Unsurprisingly, the fury amplified the black desires, bringing the burning in his mind to a crest that Gohan's psyche could barely handle. Dark thoughts began to circle his mind unbidden…thoughts of pain and destruction, pleasure and chaos; devastation brought down like final judgment on every living thing…tempting…teasing…seducing him gently… It was a craving unlike any he'd ever experienced, and he knew without a doubt that giving in to it would bring him such intense joy it would be nearly agonizing. The power he had the capacity to unleash…he heard his distant yell cut off abruptly when he gasped aloud just imagining it, a thrill of pleasure joining the fire in his body as a promise of what could be. The small piece of rationality retained by his mind was revolted by the twisted convolution of pleasure and pain that his being desired to feel and deliver; but it also couldn't help but see how very easy it would be just to give in; to give up the fight and let his true self be in control—allow himself to be the harbinger of death that he was created to be. The idea of killing so many…it thrilled him. In his mind's eye, he could picture the depravity he would inflict in perfect detail. He could rain down devastation on the entire galaxy, with next to no effort. This very planet he was occupying was the excuse his father always had for abandoning his family…why let it even exist?

Sudden shock waves of energy coursed through his body harshly, causing him to throw his head back involuntarily and drawing through his clenched teeth a low, growling moan from deep in this throat.

_**Yes.**_

The monster latched onto the idea with savage carnality: what better way to punish his father, the man that had caused him so much suffering? Gohan felt that small, rational part of his brain disappearing…. It was an epiphany of epic proportions: Destroy the planet that had always been more important to him—there could be no greater or more fitting revenge. It was what his father deserved! All the ways he had hurt him over the years—not to mention their family….

Suddenly, the tiny remaining piece of Gohan's sanity gained strength at the thought of his loved ones. He saw the answer. Gohan pictured them in his mind…Goten and Trunks, and his wife, his mother, Vegeta…_Pan_. His daughter's face in his mind was the final catalyst, causing his senses to snap sharply back to him.

Gohan's eyes ripped open as his entire body jolted, crying out at the agony that ripped through his head as he regained control of himself. Abruptly the world was darker, and the man noted distantly that he had dropped back into his natural, dark-haired form. The sound of the waterfall's rushing filled his ears, but he could still hear the harsh gasping and sobbing that he quickly realized was coming from his own mouth. He flailed suddenly and dropped a foot in midair before catching himself, feeling shockingly weak. Reaching up to touch his cheeks, he was surprised to feel tears burning down them in a steady stream. He clutched his head weakly and groaned as the throbbing ebbed at a slow pace, feeling completely bewildered…and afraid.

_What just happened? I buried all this years ago…._

Gohan lost focus as his thoughts blurred. He couldn't remember ever feeling so weak; every muscle felt like it had taken a personal thrashing with a butcher's knife; just breathing required monumental effort, let alone staying suspended. The Saiyan's vision was beginning to turn black at the edges. He realized, slowly, that he was over water; if he became unconscious here he would likely drown. And for the smallest moment, he hesitated; how easy it would be to just let himself die. He had thought he was rid of the monster long ago, but it appeared that his original notions as a teenager had been correct; there was no _getting rid_ of the thing—he _was_ the monster. The only way to get rid of it was to get rid of him. It only took him a second, even in his half-conscious state, to remember his daughter—she needed him; and even if she hadn't been missing he had sworn to never leave her, or the rest of his family. He would just have to learn to control this thing inside him.

Feeling his consciousness fading fast, he threw all of his remaining energy into clearing the water so that he could black out over the earth instead; he got less than a foot. Gohan realized belatedly that his two seconds of hesitation had cost him—and then he was falling toward the rushing river below. Kindly, his mind pulled him into soft darkness before he had the chance to feel fear.

* * *

_A/N: That was really fun to write! The chapter title is in reference to a Korn song called 'Did My Time'... :) It reminds me of Gohan a lot. Check it out! Anyone who doesn't know Korn, just beware that their stuff is a little dark. I also think of Gohan when I hear 'Here to Stay' also by Korn. If he had a song to his dad in this fic, that would be it! This story would have been so easy to make into a songfic._

_Thank you to all reviewers! Every single one just makes my day._

_So it probably seems like I hate the guy, but I'm really missing Goku in my fic..._


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